Smallville: Bittersweet
by Caitlin-Todd
Summary: When Lois is forced to move in at the Kent farm for a week, there's bound to be trouble. Then an old friend from Lois' army brat past shows up, which makes for a bittersweet reunion. CLOIS.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: _Smallville: "Bittersweet"_**

**Author: **_Caitlin Todd_

**Pairing: **_Lois,__Lois/Clark_

**Rating: **_G  
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**A/N: **_So, I started writing this fan fiction sometime in 2006. Some major changes have been made to the story since then, seeing as how the television show's storyline has changed as well. Still, some details in this story will be considered 'old' and not updated but I left them alone since it would mess up the story too much. Aside from the fact that I've been so slow on uploading this fan fiction which has caused some rifts in the timeline, I'm thinking you'll like it. _

_(**Please note that English is my second language so misspelled words can occur, as well as 'skipped words.'**)_

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

"Hey there, Smallville! Long time no see!"

Clark felt chills down his spine as he came face to face with Lois Lane. But the most freighting thing was that she was carrying a cardboard box, filled with stuff. _Her_ stuff. At the back of his head, Clark knew this was a sure sign of something very unpleasant. Last time she had brought a cardboard box with her stuff into the house, she had ended up occupying his bedroom for weeks while he had spent far too many nights in the uncomfortable couch downstairs.

"Earth to Clark Kent! In case you haven't noticed this box is getting pretty heavy so I need you to step aside. _Now_!" Lois snapped and Clark snapped out of his daze.

"Lois, what are you doing here? Last time I checked you had your own apartment," he asked, refusing to step aside. The last thing he needed was Lois Lane taking over his bedroom again and invading his privacy _again_.

"And last time I checked there was such a thing as hospitality," Lois said and gave Clark a deadly glare, impatiently waiting for him to move away from the doorway.

"What's wrong with your apartment? I thought you liked it there. Nice and quiet. Far away from here," Clark said, putting on a fake smile.

"Turns out that _The Talon_ is in serious need of remodeling, which means I won't be seeing the inside of the apartment for a week. Trust me, I'm as heartbroken as you are," Lois said and something in her voice made Clark feel even more uncomfortable.

"Heartbroken? About what?" he asked, giving Lois a suspicious look. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

"Why don't you ask your mom? She's the one who invited me," Lois said, and in that moment Martha Kent suddenly appeared in the doorway behind Clark.

"Hey, Lois! Let me help you with that. Clark, step aside please," Martha said. Clark gave her a shocked look and tried to protest, but couldn't find the words. So he reluctantly stepped aside and watched as his mother grabbed the cardboard box, then walking into the kitchen with it. As soon as she had disappeared out of sight, Clark turned to Lois and glared at her.

"Please don't tell me that you are going to stay _here_ while your apartment is being renovated!" he muttered and Lois flashed a big innocent grin, only conforming Clark's horror.

"Hate to disappoint you, but it seems that I'm going to be stuck for the week. Thanks to your very considered mom who so kindly invited me when she heard the awful news. Isn't that sweet?" Lois asked, sounding very sarcastic at the end of the sentence. Clark felt like using his heat vision for once on her, but managed to control himself.

"You can always contact your dad and see if he might have a bunk available; you haven't really spend much quality time with him lately," Clark said sarcastically and Lois smiled deviously at him.

"Believe me, I considered several options before ending up here. Chloe will be staying at Jimmy's place and apparently daddy dearest is out on assignment at another unknown location; which means my bunk goes to some other lucky bastard. Nice try though, Smallville!" she said and gave Clark a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before heading outside to get the rest of her stuff from the car. Clark quickly headed into the kitchen where Martha was busy making phone calls. The cardboard box with Lois' stuff was standing on the stairs, waiting to be carried upstairs. Clark sighed heavily at the thought of living together with her for an entire week.

"How come I wasn't told that Lois was coming?" Clark suddenly blurted out.

"I just heard about the renovating an hour ago when I stopped by _The Talon_ on my way back to the farm. And since she's got nowhere else to go, it's only right that she stays here. Besides, it's just one week, Clark. I know you and Lois aren't exactly the closest of friends but I count on you to behave while she's here," Martha said and gave Clark a serious look for once. Deep down Clark knew there was no point in protesting or making a scene, because it wouldn't change matters. As he walked out back into the hallway, he noticed that Lois had already unloaded six more cardboard boxes packed with her things.

"You just gonna stand there all day or actually help? These boxes won't just fly upstairs by themselves," Lois said and put down another box on the hallway floor. Clark sighed, doing his best not to use his heat vision on her after all. Instead he bent down and picked up two cardboard boxes, ready to super speed upstairs while Lois was outside in her car. But the sound of an approaching car prevented Clark from moving at all. He quickly put down the boxes and stepped outside, spotting Chloe's car pulling up alongside Lois' car in the driveway.

"Oh no," Clark mumbled to himself as he saw the cardboard boxes in the backseat of Chloe's car. Lois was only going to stay for one week and yet judging by all the stuff she had packed, it seemed like she was moving in for good. The mere thought made Clark shiver.

"I just wanna point out that this isn't something I plan on doing on regularly basis for you! Especially not when all the stuff you actually _need_ fits into two boxes instead of eight!" Chloe shouted to Lois as she got out of her car, balancing one cardboard box in each hand.

"Hey, I actually need all of this stuff! You think this look comes easily?" Lois said with a teasing smile as she grabbed one of the cardboard boxes Chloe was carrying.

"No comment. I have a feeling that's one of the things I don't wanna know," Chloe said and they both started laughing. Clark quickly went back inside the house again and picked up two boxes, super speeding up the stairs to his room. Lois and Chloe entered the kitchen a few moments later, placing the boxes on the stairs.

"I really appreciate you guys letting me live here, Mrs. Kent. I know I haven't exactly been the easiest person to have under your roof," she said.

"I'm afraid I didn't exactly give Clark much choice in the matter, but you have nothing to worry about this week, Lois," Martha said with a reassuring smile and Lois smiled back at her, taking a seat at the kitchen counter.

"Well, I think I'm gonna take these upstairs," Chloe said with a nervous smile and grabbed a cardboard box, quickly running up the stairs.

* * *

"You okay? About Lois moving back in, I mean," Chloe asked as she watched Clark pacing back and forth. He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, looking up at her.

"Do I have any other choice?" he asked sarcastically and Chloe couldn't help but smile.

"Guess not. But it's only for a week," Chloe said and put down the cardboard box on the floor next to the bed.

"Are we forgetting about the fact that I spend almost every day together with her at work?" Clark said and Chloe almost felt sorry for him, despite Lois being her cousin.

"Well, look at it from the bright side," she blurted out and Clark gave her a puzzled look.

"That I'm not related to her?"

"Cute. I was talking more about Lois' good sides. And trust me, she's got good sides."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just that I'm rarely blessed with the present of them," Clark said and sighed. Chloe patted him on the shoulder before getting off the bed.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that if I were you. Lois might be as unpredictable as the weather, but she has her moments. You just wait and see," she said and quietly exited the room. Clark looked down at the cardboard boxes filled with stuff, trying to tell himself that he could survive one week. He had after all survived the previous times she'd lived at the farm. With a heavy sigh he walked out of the room and down the stairs, just in time to watch Martha and Lois bond over cups of coffee. The two women were caught up in a fascinating conversation while Chloe had moved out into the living room, busy talking on her cell phone with most likely Jimmy judging from the look on her face. Clark sighed inwardly and decided to get some work done on the farm on his day off from work to get his mind off the current unwanted living situation, as well his equally unwanted roommate. Lois noticed at the corner of her eye as Clark walked out the kitchen door with that unhappy look on his face. She momentarily thought about confronting him about the whole situation and making it clear that she wasn't out to make his life miserable despite her questionable actions in the past. But instead she finished the last of her coffee, telling herself that they could survive one week together after all.

* * *

Chloe put down the box on the floor with a relived sigh, clapping her hands to get rid of all the dust. Lois was in the middle of unpacking the first box of many and she seemed to be taking her sweet time doing it. Normally she would just throw out the things around her, unknowingly creating a very successful mess.

"Something bothering you, Lois?" Chloe asked and sat down on the overcrowded bed, pushing aside various clothes and make-up.

"Smallville. Who else? The guy sure knows how to make a girl feel welcome," Lois muttered and angrily threw a sweater on the floor, clearly demonstrating her frustration about the situation.

"Well, it's not like he has exactly thrown you a parade the other times you moved in," Chloe said with a teasing smile and Lois threw a pair of jeans at her.

"Thanks for those comforting words. Remind me never to confide in you again," Lois said and Chloe laughed, tossing the jeans right back at her.

"Any chance I can get that in writing?"

Lois glared at her before resuming her unpacking, stocking up the dresser with her remaining clothes. She then put down the empty cardboard boxes under the bed before starting to unpack all her beauty necessities and various things that ended up being spread out across a top of the dresser. Chloe made several trips between the bathroom and the guest room until most of Lois' hygienic things had made their way into the bathroom shelves next to Clark's. Something he wasn't going to be too pleased about.

"Please don't except me to help you pack this up next week," Chloe said and fell back on to the bed with a tired sigh, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Don't worry, I'll just ask my other cousin. The one who enjoys being my little servant," Lois said with a teasing smile and Chloe started laughing, slowly opening her eyes again.

"Why not ask Clark? I'm sure he'll have your things out of the house in _seconds_!" Chloe chuckled and Lois gave her a warning look.

"I've actually decided that I'm not gonna let Smallville ruin my visit this time," she said.

"Listen, I promised Jimmy I'd be right back after helping you unloading the things and seeing as how it's a three-hour drive back to Metropolis I should get going," Chloe suddenly blurted out and abruptly got off the bed.

"So I take it things are good with you guys?" Lois asked with a curious smile spreading across her face and Chloe smiled back.

"As a matter of fact, things are very good. Never thought I'd be able to say that but apparently miracles do happen," she said. "Just look at you and Clark."

"Whoa," Lois quickly interjected. "Let's not use his name and mine anywhere around the subject of couples. We barely tolerate each other as it is and the mere thought of us being anything other than friends is just plain ridiculous!"

"Relax, Lois. All I meant is that it's miracle that the two of you have managed to live in the same house without killing each other. Someone's a bit touchy," Chloe grinned and Lois glared at her once more after being momentarily caught off guard.

"I knew that," she said but the look on her face didn't manage to convince Chloe one bit. Despite trying so hard, Lois wasn't much of a mystery and Chloe had never had a problem reading her cousin. The subject of Clark Kent had always been dangerous territory and so Chloe decided not to cross that minefield this time.

"Well, with that said, I'm off to my boyfriend's place," Chloe teased as they exited the guest room.

"You know, I could always make room for you here too if you want," Lois said with a wink. Chloe imagined living in the same house as Lois and Clark, quickly coming to the conclusion that she could do without the daytime drama.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I'm gonna stick with Jimmy," she said and Lois rolled her eyes, unable to hold back a smile.

"Can't blame a girl in love," she said. They wandered down the stairs and continued on through the kitchen out to the hallway. Lois opened up the front door, giving Chloe a quick hug and watching her head out to the car. Moments later it was on its way away from the farm, leaving behind dust clouds. Lois slowly closed the front door, listening to the muffled sound of Martha talking on the phone. Sauntering back into the kitchen, Lois leaned against the kitchen counter and let out a heavy sigh. She had already gotten the unpacking out of the way and it was still early in the day, which meant she had plenty of hours to kill before it was time for bed. Being stuck out on the farm would definitely not make time go faster, which only left one option. Lois grabbed her cell phone and car keys off the counter, heading out the kitchen door in a rush. Even though it was technically her day off, she couldn't think of a better way to spend the day than at _The_ _Daily Planet_.

* * *

She pulled the brush one final time through her blow-dried hair before putting it all up in a neat ponytail, studying her choice of clothes in front of the mirror for a while before heading downstairs. Since Martha had headed back to Washington the evening before and Clark had already left for _The Daily Planet_, Lois had had the house to herself while getting ready for work. She strolled out into the hallway and grabbed her things on the way out the door and set course towards her car. But she didn't get very far until a black vintage Mustang pulled up in the driveway with a roaring engine, leaving behind skid marks. Lois quickly put on her jacket and marched over to the car, ready to give the driver a piece of her mind.

"Excuse me, but what the hell are you doing? I'm guessing the sign down the road wasn't clear enough for you!" Lois said as she walked up to the dusty car. The car door slowly opened up and the driver casually stepped out of the car. Her denim miniskirt, black _Metallica_ T-shirt and brown cowboy boots surely proved that she was from out of town.

"I see not even the great outdoors has improved your manners, Lo," she said and Lois froze immediately, hardly believing her own eyes. The person standing in front of her wasn't someone she'd expected to see again.

"_Gwen_…?"

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

_(Don't forget to review; good or bad, doesn't matter!)_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **_First off, thanks to everyone who commented on the first chapter! And second, these first few chapters might come off as all talk and no action. But that's mostly because I'm still revising parts of the story so the beginning can be a bit slow. Also, I don't wanna give away too much about Gwen so early in the story. You'll just have to keep reading and find out for yourself. ;)  
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**CHAPTER 2**

"Gwen! Oh my God!" Lois exclaimed and instantly embraced the girl tightly.

"Take it easy, girl! I'm running out of oxygen," Gwen said with a teasing smile and Lois quickly let go of her, not being able to stop smiling.

"So what are you doing here? Not that I'm not thrilled to see you, but I gotta say I'm a little surprised."

"Well, life was getting way too boring without you, so I decided that it was time to pay my dear friend Lois a visit. Of course, back then I didn't know that meant I had to drive across the country to find you!"

"Yeah well, Smallville is kind of hard to pin point on any map. Trust me, I've tried. So, come on, tell me what you've been up to!" Lois said and they headed back towards the house, Gwen revealing all the highlights of her life the past years.

"So, what's so great about Smallville that makes Lois Lane stick around? I've always pictured you in the big city, dating some hot guy and getting tight with the rich people at the nightclubs. Or at least that's how you described your future," Gwen said with a teasing smile as they entered the house.

Lois showed her the way to the kitchen and tried think of a way to describe her time in Smallville. The future had certainly not turned out like she planned but she didn't really regret arriving in Smallville.

"Well, believe it or not, but I've just started working at _The_ _Dailey Planet_ in Metropolis so I'm still very much a big city girl. Although the whole nightclub scene isn't really my thing anymore and I've currently given up on men for the time being. They make life way too complicated. And I'm just staying here for the week since my apartment needs some serious renovating, so hopefully you're sticking around long enough to see where I actually live," Lois said and walked over to the coffee maker, fiddling around with it for a minute before turning it on. Gwen looked around the kitchen and a smile escaped her lips.

"Oh, I don't know, I think it's kind of cozy. Could it be that Lois Lane is a closet farm girl after all?" Gwen said sarcastically and Lois hastily turned around, glaring at her.

"Like I said, I'm only staying here cause I had nowhere else to go when the construction crew came knocking on my door this morning," she said and took out two coffee mugs from one of the kitchen cupboards.

"If you say so," Gwen teased. "So I take you live alone since you've apparently given up on guys, which I doubt will last very long."

"Actually, I'm sharing apartment with my cousin Chloe. You remember her, right?" Lois said as she moved around the kitchen, trying to locate the sugar. Gwen remained silent for a moment before breaking out in a smile again.

"_Right_! We met at that birthday party of yours! What's she doing these days?"

"It's a long story. I'll fill you in later," Lois said with her back against Gwen, going through the other cupboards in search of sugar just as the coffee was done.

"Well it sounds like you got things going your way, Lo. Not that I'm surprised," Gwen said while filling up the mugs with coffee. Lois finally closed the cupboard, facing Gwen with a triumphal grin on her face with the sugar in hand. She poured a good amount of sugar into her coffee before taking a sip, leaning against the counter.

"So what's the deal with the clothes? Last time I saw you, cowboy boots and denim skirts weren't exactly your style," Lois teased at a closer look at Gwen's outfit.

"They weren't until I met this guy," Gwen said and tasted her coffee.

"What guy? And don't hold back on me now. After hearing, in great detail, what happened between you and Scott Larkin at Melissa Stevens' birthday party, I think I can handle just about anything," Lois said and took a seat by the kitchen table. Gwen slowly followed and sat down across from Lois, taking another sip of her coffee.

"I did my share of partying in Los Angeles last summer and that's when I met Mark. I guess you could say that he taught me a few new things about life," Gwen explained and Lois raised an eyebrow at her.

"Like what? Breaking the world record in body shots?" she said sarcastically and Gwen smiled wryly, sipping on her coffee.

"Something like that," she said and Lois noticed how Gwen slipped away from reality.

"Gwen, did something happen between you and this Mark fellow?" Lois asked.

"No, nothing like that. We called it quits a few weeks ago, so I guess it's just hard for me imaging life by myself again."

"Well, you're not alone anymore," Lois smiled and embraced Gwen.

* * *

Hours later Lois was typing away on her computer, looking over at the clock on the wall every now and then. Clark glanced over at her with a raised eyebrow, fighting the urge to comment on Lois' strange behavior.

"Something on your mind, Smallville?" Lois suddenly snapped, staring up straight at Clark, her fingers still typing away on the keyboard.

"Actually, I was just wondering why you're so eager on breaking a new record. Usually you stock up on coffee before making it halfway through an article," Clark said with a casual shrug. Lois narrowed her eyes, continuing to type and slowly turning her attention back to the computer screen in front of her.

"For your information, I'm holding off on the coffee until I'm meeting Gwen and Chloe in an hour," she said with an exasperated sigh. "So there you have it."

"Who's Gwen?"

"A friend of mine."

"How come I haven't heard of her before?"

"Not many have."

"Why not?"

Lois abruptly stopped typing, glaring over at Clark, holding back the snappy comeback that popped into her head.

"I'm all for small talk but right now I'm on a _very_ tight deadline, so either you bring me some coffee or go back to writing your article," she said and they maintained eye contact for a few seconds before Clark resumed his typing. Lois observed him, slowly letting out a heavy sigh and rolling her eyes.

"Look, I'm sorry," she said, getting out of her chair. "How about I get us some coffee?"

"Who are you and what have you done to Lois?" Clark teased, fighting back a grin.

"You want your coffee or not?" Lois teased back and Clark smiled at her followed by a quick nod. She turned around and walked out of the bullpen, returning almost immediately with two cups of coffee in her hands. Clark raised an eyebrow, getting out of his chair and meeting her halfway.

"You got a secret stash I don't know about?" he said sarcastically as he grabbed the coffee cup she handed him.

"More like a supplier," she said with an almost deviously smile, sipping on her coffee.

"I hope you pay him enough," Clark said with a smile, taking a swig of coffee before making his way back to his desk. Lois gave off a nonchalant shrug as she perched herself on Clark's desk.

"I promised him one of my Pulitzers as compensation."

"The ones you haven't won yet?"

"_Yet_ being the keyword. It's only a matter of time, you'll see."

"I'm sure I will."

They stared at each other in silence for a while, forgetting about the buzzing bullpen and the people running back and forth around them. Lois suddenly cleared her throat, sliding down off the desk and walking around back to her own desk.

"I should probably finish up this article," she said. "Don't wanna be late for lunch with the girls."

Clark suddenly got out of his chair, putting down the coffee cup on the desk.

"I just remembered I need to pick up some things at the… dry cleaner," he said with an absent look on his face, which Lois was oblivious to. "Enjoy your lunch."

"Thanks, I will," Lois said with her back turned against him, looking down at her computer screen while taking a swig of coffee. "Hey, do you know where –"

A sudden gust of wind made Lois turned around, finding that Clark had already left. She sighed heavily, taking a seat in front of her computer and continuing on with the article.

* * *

Gwen leaned in closer against the counter; pouting with her lips at the clerk while well aware of the looks she was getting from some of the customers. But Gwen had always thrived on attention from others and wasn't one to get embarrassed, not even in public.

"So, exactly where is that tattoo of yours?" she purred, looking up at the clerk with a seductive sparkle in her eyes. "I bet it's somewhere very… _interesting_."

Before the clerk had a chance to respond, Lois had appeared next to Gwen, shooting him a warning glare across the counter.

"Excuse us," she said sarcastically and led Gwen firmly away from the counter and over to a window table where Chloe was waiting. Gwen's expression went from irritated, to surprised, to giddy when she noticed Chloe at the table in front of her.

"Well, if it isn't little Ms. Sullivan!" Gwen exclaimed in faux Southern accent with a grin plastered on her face when she embraced Chloe in a hug. Lois took a seat across from Chloe at the table and watched Chloe's awkward behavior with an amused smile.

"Nice to see some things never change," she said when Gwen eventually plumped down on the chair next to Chloe. "I didn't know you fancied pimple-eyed clerks, Gwen."

"No harm in flirting, Lo," Gwen said with a smirk at Lois and Chloe couldn't help but feel momentarily out of place. It had already become obvious that Lois and Gwen shared a history and all those years of being apart didn't seem to have changed anything.

"I think we could all do without your flirting for one day. Or need I remind you of what happened last time you _harmlessly_ flirted with a complete stranger?" Lois said, matching Gwen's smirk with one of her own while eyeing the menu. Gwen sighed, giving Chloe the impression that whatever had happened wasn't something Gwen liked to be reminded of. But knowing Lois Lane, she was only too pleased to remind people of their past indiscretions no matter how embarrassing.

"_Anyway_," Gwen said, turning to face Chloe. "What are you up to these days, Chlo? Aside from making sure Lois is behaving like a good little girl."

Ignoring the obvious glare Gwen was getting from Lois across the table, Chloe just barely managed to maintain a straight face while focusing on Gwen's question.

"I'm running a foundation that focuses on helping troubled kids," she said while Gwen nodded along.

"Interesting. So whatever happened to that lifelong dream of becoming a newspaper reporter?" Gwen asked.

"Guess it turned out to be just that; a dream. I'm through with the newspaper world, at least for now," Chloe said, glancing over at Lois. "No offense, Lois."

"None taken," Lois said, smiling.

"So, where does a girl have to go to have some fun around here?" Gwen suddenly blurted out and the smile on Lois' face slowly dissipated.

"I wouldn't really know. It's been a while since I was club hoping and besides, I have to be at work bright and early tomorrow," she said and Gwen pouted.

"Aw, come on, Lois! I came _all_ this way to have some fun and not just sit around drinking coffee. The least you can do is show me around Metropolis," she begged.

Lois exchanged a hesitant glance with Chloe, failing at holding back a heavy sigh.

"Fine. We'll have an old fashioned girls' night out; how does that sound?" she said and Gwen shrugged nonchalantly, a grin appearing on her face.

"Sounds like something I would be up for," she said and all eyes turned on Chloe.

"_What_?"

"You honestly didn't expect us to do without you, little cuz?" Lois teased and Chloe forcefully shook her head, letting out a nervous laughter.

"I'm flattered, but I really can't. I've got work to do and I promised –"

"_Jimmy_. Of course," Lois sighed.

Gwen glanced over at Chloe with sparkling eyes, unable to hide her curiosity.

"Who's Jimmy?"

"My boyfriend."

"Whom she just happens to be living with."

"_Temporarily_."

"Yeah, yeah. That's always how it starts."

Chloe shot Lois a warning glare across the table. Lois acted oblivious, her eyes firmly glued to the menu in her hands.

"So," she said, loudly clearing her throat. "Let's order!"

* * *

Clark super sped in through the kitchen door at the Kent house, coming to an abrupt halt mere seconds before Lois came in through the front door. She dumped her car keys on the end table in the hallway before making her way through the living room and into the kitchen.

"How'd it go at the dry cleaner?" she asked casually as she swept past Clark, opening up the refrigerator and taking out the juice carton.

For a moment Clark gave her a dumbfounded stare while she poured herself a glass of juice, suddenly realizing what she was referring to.

"Good," he quickly blurted out. "How was lunch?"

"One big trip down memory lane," Lois said, a smile escaping her. "We've made plans to go out tonight, just me and Gwen seeing as how Chloe is glued to Jimmy these days."

"You really think it's such a good idea to go out clubbing on a week night?"

"Who are you, my mother? We're just going out to get a quiet drink and do some catching up," Lois said, downing the glass of juice in one breath.

"If you say so," Clark said, a teasing smile appearing on his face. Lois pursed her lips together, unable to hold back a smile.

"Despite my questionable partying in the past, I am capable of enjoying myself without getting completely wasted," she said.

"So I have nothing to worry about?" Clark asked sarcastically and Lois gave a quick nod.

"Nothing whatsoever!" she said with confidence, putting down the empty glass in the sink. "Now, I still got some work to do so I better get started."

She flashed Clark a quick smile before hurrying up the stairs to the guest room, leaving him standing there with an almost dumbfounded look on his face.

From the very first moment he remembered meeting her, Lois Lane had never been very polite or charming around him. She had her moments where she'd opened up him but it had taken time and the moments were few and far between.

Now seeing how much she had changed since Gwen's arrival, Clark came to the conclusion that he liked this new cheerful Lois. After everything she'd been through over the years and her recent string of bad breakups, she definitely needed something or someone to lift her spirit.

The peaceful silence was suddenly interrupted when Clark's super hearing picked up on something that required his immediate assistance. He checked to see that the coast was clear before super speeding out the kitchen door and down the driveway, leaving behind dust clouds.

Moments later Lois came walking down the stairs again, calling out for Clark.

"Hey, Smallville! Would you be interested in –"

She turned silent as she noticed that the kitchen was empty and as she wandered into the living room, she realized that Clark was nowhere to be found. She sighed and shrugged effortlessly before heading back up the stairs.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Standing in the seemingly endless line of people outside the nightclub made Lois realize she was foolish to think even for a second that Gwen would've settled for an innocent girls' night out at the movies, when nightclubs were more of her scene. Lois on the other hand had put up a good fight for the first few minutes until admitting defeat once again.

"Are we having fun yet?" Lois asked sarcastically, leaning in next to Gwen.

"I told you to have that round of tequila shots, Lo!" Gwen exclaimed, fighting back the giggles while Lois fought the urge to just leave right there and then.

"Like I told you before, I just wasn't in the mood to get hammered," she muttered and Gwen frowned at her.

"What's wrong, Lo? Last time we had a night out on the town _you_ were the one having all the fun! Whatever happened to _that_ Lois Lane?"

"She got a job. A very _demanding_ job in case you haven't noticed."

"Oh, don't be such a party pooper! Let your hair down just for this one night and then you can go back to the office if you like it so much there."

Lois suppressed a grunt as Gwen undid her ponytail, literality letting her hair fall down over her shoulders. A satisfied smile crossed Gwen's face and Lois couldn't help but return the smile. Gwen had always managed to make Lois feel great about herself, on the inside and out.

"You do know you're only getting away with this because you're you?" Lois said, still with a smile firmly in place. Gwen gave her a friendly nudge just as it was their turn to head inside the nightclub. The grumpy looking bouncer eyed their ID's closely in silence before giving them a brief nod indicating they were in clear.

"Trust me, Lo, you'll have the time of your life tonight!" Gwen exclaimed with an excited grin as she practically pulled Lois along with her through the crowded club, heading straight for the bar where people were already fighting to get the bartender's attention.

Without much effort, Gwen pushed through the crowd of people and with a wave of her hand the bartender suddenly stared straight at her. Lois had to admit she was impressed at the way Gwen charmed the bartender into serving up drinks for them within moments.

"You're quite the pro," Lois said while sipping on her drink. Gwen shrugged, unable to mask the satisfied look on her face.

"I learned from the best," she said and Lois raised an eyebrow.

"I'm assuming you're talking about me?"

"Don't look so shocked! You used to have the guys wrapped around your little finger, Lois!"

"Yeah, and we all know how well that turned out."

"I've only heard the short version, Lo, and you really shouldn't beat yourself up about it. The way I see it, you're one step closer to finding Mr. Right."

"Since when do you believe in Mr. Right, Gwen?" Lois asked, sipping on her drink.

"There was a time where I thought Mark was my Mr. Right and even though I was obviously mistaken, I believe that you'll have better luck."

Lois reached out and gave Gwen a quick hug, a sympathetic smile on her face.

"I say we forget about guys for tonight and just have fun?"

"You read my mind!" Gwen exclaimed and downed her drink in seconds. "Come on, Lane! It's time to dance!"

Before Lois had a chance to react, the drink was out of her hand within seconds and she was being pulled out on to the dance floor by Gwen. Lois remained standing still at first until Gwen encouraged her to start dancing, which wasn't something Lois had done in what seemed like forever.

But despite that, it didn't take long before her body started moving along to the beat as if it had a life of its own. Lois was surprised at how quickly she got into the mood again; for the first time in a long time she could put her problems aside and just enjoy herself.

* * *

The following morning began with a pounding headache for one Lois Lane. Instead of being at the office, she laid face down in bed under the covers in the guest room. She had already thrown the alarm clock against the wall after hitting the snooze button three times.

Lois had never been a morning person and combining that with a vicious hangover was a sure way of keeping her in bed all day. She however knew she had to get her butt to work soon enough. Preferably before Tess Mercer showed up on the Kent doorstep, something Lois wouldn't put past her new boss.

The abrupt sound of approaching footsteps in the otherwise silent house made Lois immediately sit up straight, only making the pounding inside her head even worse. She let out a loud grunt and squeezed her eyes shut, the sound of the guest room door opening echoing through her head.

"Chlo, if this is your version of a wake-up call then might I just say that –"

"Lois, you mind telling me who's occupying the bathroom? Unless it's actually another you, which I really hope it's not, there's an unknown visitor in my house," Clark said and Lois carefully turned her head, squinting at him.

"Visitor?" she repeated with a puzzled expression, causing Clark to give her a stern look.

"Exactly what did you do last night? Almost looks like you had a run in with a –"

"You _don't_ wanna finish that sentence, Smallville," Lois warned, well aware that she looked like a complete mess. "Not that it's any of your business, but I went out to a nightclub in Metropolis with… _Gwen_. Who's most likely the person occupying your precious bathroom. Either that or I got lucky last night, which I seriously doubt."

"_Right_," Clark said, loudly clearing his throat. "So, I take it the night was a success?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

"Well, now you have your answer."

Just as Clark opened his mouth to object, he was caught off guard by someone appearing behind him in the doorway wrapped up in a towel. She gave Clark a sly smirk while eyeing him up and down before squeezing past him into the guest room.

"You must be Clark," she said, extending a hand towards Clark. "I'm Gwen Parker. Lois' old friend."

"Nice to meet you," Clark said, keeping his attention firmly fixed on Gwen's face. She certainly didn't seem like the shy type which only made Clark more uncomfortable.

"_Smallville_!" Lois snapped, ignoring the increasing headache. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Like, _The Daily Planet_?"

"Consider me gone," Clark said, smiling politely at Gwen before turning around and closing the door behind him as he left. Lois pulled the covers over her head as she moaned and groaned, wishing for the splitting headache to disappear.

"You forgot to mention the fact that your farm boy was such a _cutie_, Lo," Gwen teased as she plumped down on the bed.

"He's not _my_ farm boy, Gwen!" Lois muttered from under the covers and Gwen couldn't contain a laugh.

"Whatever you say, sweetie," she said sarcastically and got off the bed. "You keep forgetting I can read you better than anybody. Whenever you like someone, you tend to go overboard with the denial."

"I'm not in denial!" Lois snapped, pulling back the covers as she sat up in bed again. "My relationship with Clark Kent is strictly business!"

"So you're saying that even though you work with the guy and now live in the same house, there's nothing going on between you two?"

"Nothing whatsoever!"

"Then you don't mind if I have a go at him?" Gwen asked with an innocent smile as Lois reluctantly got out of bed.

"I highly doubt he's your type, Gwen," Lois said, walking up to the full length mirror. When she saw the messy hair, bloodshot eyes and smeared make up she sighed heavily. It was nothing she hadn't seen before.

"What makes you so sure he's not?" Gwen asked with a clear hint of annoyance in her voice.

"'Cause he's the furthest thing from a bad boy."

"_Right_. And why would I want a guy behaving like a gentleman?"

"Glad we cleared that up. Now, if you excuse me, I'm in desperate need of a shower," Lois yawned and exited the room, heading straight for the bathroom down the hall.

The moment Gwen heard the bathroom door slam shut, she immediately started to rummage through her suitcase looking for fitting clothes. Eventually she pulled out a pair of low-cut jeans and a sparkling tank top, letting the bath towel drop to the floor in record time.

Without wasting another minute Gwen quickly put on the clothes, applied make up and did her hair before rushing out of the guest room. On her way past the bathroom door she smiled at the sound of the running shower, knowing she would have a couple of minutes alone with Clark before Lois bothered to show up.

When arriving down the stairs, Gwen found the kitchen and living room to be completely empty. Aside from Lois taking a shower upstairs, not a sound could be heard inside the house. Gwen quickly walked over to the kitchen window, straining her neck to see if Clark were outside.

"Looking for someone?"

Gwen let out a yelp as she turned around facing Clark whom had suddenly appeared in the kitchen.

"For such a big fellow, you sure move quietly," she said while catching her breath.

"Years of practice," Clark said with a polite smile and stepped around her.

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?"

"So I've been told."

"So, Clark, how about breakfast?"

"I've already eaten."

"I meant for me."

"Oh… well, I guess that can be arranged."

With a pleased smirk on her face, Gwen watched as Clark fumbled about in the kitchen. He was well aware that she was staring at him which made him very self-conscious. If he didn't know any better, he'd think Gwen was actually checking him out. The very notion would make Lois laugh and so Clark quickly dismissed the thought.

"I take it you guys had fun last night?" he asked casually, still with his back against Gwen. She jumped up on the kitchen counter, leaning back enough to reveal her belly button piercing, waiting for Clark to finally turn around.

"Pretty much. I still kick Lois' butt in tequila shots but then again she did outdo me on the dance floor more than once," Gwen said with a dramatic sigh at the end.

"Really? I've always imagined Lois –"

Clark came close to dropping the coffee cup at the sight of Gwen's exposed belly button piercing, remaining stunned for what seemed like forever. The smirk on Gwen's face grew wider when she saw that her little plan worked like a charm.

"Something the matter, Clark?"

"No! I was just trying to find –"

"Actually, I'm not really that hungry. How about you show me around this farm of yours? Lois kind of forgot that part when I showed up yesterday," Gwen said and slid off the counter, still maintaining eye contact with Clark. "That is, if you got the time?"

"I guess I have enough time to do a quick tour," Clark blurted out, putting away the coffee cup before they exited through the kitchen door. Gwen lingered off the side to Clark, giving him a sideway glance ever so often. Farms really didn't interest her one bit but she was more than willing to at least _pretend_ to be interested in cattle and tractors.

"It must be a lot of hard work running a farm all by yourself," Gwen suddenly blurted out and Clark gave her a puzzled look. "Lois told me."

"Of course," Clark sighed. "Well, actually, I focus mostly on my work at _The Daily Planet_ these days now that I have help from one of the neighbors."

Gwen suddenly spotted the red barn in front of them and eagerly picked up the pace.

"Mind showing me what goes on in there?" she asked and pointed towards the barn.

* * *

After rushing down the stairs into the kitchen, Lois quickly put on the coffee maker while nibbling on one of the muffins Martha had left behind. Knowing it was only a matter of time before her cell phone started ringing non-stop Lois guessed she had most likely beaten the world record in the quickest showers category to avoid running a minute later than necessary.

She was already dressed up in her regular work outfit and had actually managed to do her hair up in a ponytail. Now all that was left was the impromptu breakfast that consisted of a cup of coffee and muffin, which really wasn't all that different from Lois' standard breakfasts. While waiting for the coffee she leaned over the kitchen counter, flipping through the pages of the morning paper.

Her eyes suddenly fixated on a headline and for a moment everything around her faded away.

"Last time I checked, barns weren't exactly the hottest place in town, Clark," Gwen laughed, walking in through the kitchen door with Clark when she saw Lois. "Morning, Lo! Anything interesting happening in the world?"

"I'll say," Lois mumbled and finally looked up from the newspaper, turning around facing Gwen. "Apparently we left that club just in time last night."

"What do you mean?" Gwen asked with a frown.

"The police found a guy's dead body out back in the alley," Lois said. "He'd been poisoned."

"And they think the murderer is someone from the club?"

Lois' attention suddenly shifted from Gwen to Clark when he spoke up.

"I'm guessing that's a pretty safe bet since the guy was last seen inside the club by the bartender," she said and handed Clark the newspaper before stepping over to the coffee maker, inhaling the scent of freshly made coffee before pouring herself a cup.

"God, I can't believe someone actually got _killed_ at the same club we were at," Gwen blurted out and Lois nodded along while taking a swig of coffee.

"If that isn't a sure way of stopping people from partying, I don't know what is," she said, ignoring Clark's incredulous stare. "So, what were the two of you up to?"

"Oh, Clark was just showing me around the farm. Have you seen his loft out in the barn?" Gwen exclaimed and Lois gave Clark a sly smile.

"Who _hasn't_ seen farm boy's little love shack by now?" she teased and Clark glared at her in silence.

"Lois, I think we better get moving," he said and Lois' eyes immediately darted to the kitchen clock.

"_Crap_! I'm so fired! Gwen, let's go!" she exclaimed and quickly finished her coffee.

"You go ahead, I got some errands to run," Gwen blurted out.

"You sure?" Lois asked.

"I'm sure," Gwen said with a nod. "I need to get my car looked over at one of the auto shops in Metropolis amongst other things."

"Okay. Well, I'll see you around lunch then?" Lois asked, hand resting on the kitchen doorknob, momentarily frozen on the spot.

"Absolutely," Gwen smiled. "I'll even bring the food."

"You know the way to a girl's heart," Lois grinned and headed out the door to her car.

Gwen grabbed her leather jacket and car keys, flashing Clark a smile before heading out the door herself.

"See you later, Clark!" she shouted over her shoulder seconds before the kitchen door slammed shut behind her. Clark watched through the window as Lois drove first, closely followed by Gwen in her Mustang.

There was something about Gwen that made Clark uncomfortable and almost blushing at the same time, which was pretty much the same effect Lois had had on him but worse. Instead of dwelling on it, he waited until both cars were out of sight before he super sped out the door, heading for _The Dailey Planet_.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **_Sorry that it has taken me this long for another chapter update, but now that I'm on vacation I finally have the time to complete this story that's been in the works since 2006. And since I have very vivid plans for a new Clois fan fiction, I need this to be finished as soon as possible. I still have a few blanks to fill in, which means a few more chapters before the final scene gets posted. Keep reading and leaving reviews, because it keeps the story going and me smiling. (Again, sorry for any possible grammar mistakes/missing words. I've given up on double checking the chapters._)

* * *

**CHAPTER 4**

"How's that article coming along, Lois?" Clark teased as he swept past Lois' desk, a hot cup of coffee in hand. Lois reluctantly looked away from the computer screen and glanced up at him, doing her best to avoid drooling over the coffee.

"If you came all this way from the coffee machine to check up on me, I hate to burst your bubble," she said and went back to typing.

"What makes you think I'm checking up on you?" Clark asked with a teasing smile as he took a seat by his desk. Just as Lois opened her mouth to throw out one of her retorts at him, Chloe waltzed into the bullpen with coffee cups in hand which got Lois' attention straight away.

"This is for you," Chloe said, handing Lois a coffee cup.

"Okay, not that I don't appreciate the coffee, but what gives?" Lois asked suspiciously while taking a swig of coffee. Chloe walked around to the other side of Lois' desk, making sure she was facing both Lois and Clark.

"Me and Jimmy are having a movie night, so I thought I'd invite you and Clark. Look at it as friends hanging out together while watching some lame horror flicks," Chloe said while Lois continued to consume the coffee at a surprising speed.

"Count me in," Clark said without much hesitation, glancing over at Lois. She met his glance, downing the rest of her coffee before answering Chloe.

"You better make sure there's plenty of popcorn because I'll be bringing Gwen as well seeing as how she came all this way to see me," she said, suddenly beginning to look around the buzzing bullpen. "Speaking of which, where _is_ Gwen? She should've been here by now."

"She's probably having trouble finding her way back," Clark suggested from behind his computer.

"Yeah probably," Chloe concurred with a quick nod.

"Then maybe I better give her a call," Lois said, picking up her cell phone off the desk.

"Hey guys!"

Lois, Chloe and Clark turned their heads simultaneously to see Gwen waltzing into the bullpen with a cheerful expression on her face.

"Everything okay with the car?" Lois asked, putting down her cell phone again.

"Oh yeah," Gwen said with a casual shrug. "Nothing the good mechanic couldn't fix."

"Well, you're just in time for the good news," Lois said, getting out of her chair. "We've just been invited to movie night at Chloe and Jimmy's place."

"Movie night?" Gwen repeated, the cheerful expression changing into a skeptical one. Lois barely managed to suppress a giggle at the sight of Chloe pretending to look offended when Gwen's lack of excitement became obvious.

"No but seriously, movie night sounds awesome," Gwen quickly added and winked playfully at Chloe.

"Glad to hear," Chloe smiled and finished her coffee. "Well, I'll better be going."

"Bye, Chloe!" Lois and Clark said simultaneously, exchanging brief glances.

"Bye guys!" she called out over her shoulder as she headed to the elevators.

After watching Chloe step into the elevator, Lois suddenly had an epiphany as she noticed Gwen was empty handed.

"Hey, where's our lunch?" she asked and for a moment Gwen looked completely clueless until she realized what she'd forgotten.

"_Oh_! I'm sorry, Lo! I totally forgot about lunch!"

"I was actually just on my way out to pick something up to eat," Clark interjected as he appeared next to Lois. She opened her mouth to respond in her usual snappy way, but Gwen was quicker.

"Perfect! You mind if I tag along?"

Lois's eyes grew big as she glared over at Gwen, who couldn't be more oblivious with her attention entirely focused on Clark at the moment.

"I don't mind if Lois doesn't mind," he said and turned to look at Lois with the same teasing smile that usually drove Lois insane. This time, however, she somehow managed to remain calm and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"If Clark doesn't mind, I certainly don't mind," she said, forcing on a smile as she met Gwen's gaze.

"You can come too if you want, Lois," Clark said and Lois shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer, but I got work to finish. You two kids go on without me," she said and took a seat at her desk. "Just make sure you bring me back a –"

"The usual," Clark cut in, still with that teasing smile of his. "I got it."

Lois watched them head over to the elevators, ignoring the twinge she'd felt when Gwen promptly wanted to accompany Clark. Anybody else wouldn't have known about the subliminal message in Gwen's request, but Lois knew all about Gwen's tricks to win over a guy. She'd meant what she'd said to Gwen earlier; her relationship with Clark was strictly platonic. Yet, a part of her didn't want Gwen throwing herself all over Clark and despite their conversation the same morning Gwen still hadn't gotten the message.  
Lois abruptly shook her head, telling herself that it was none of her business whom Clark dated. Gwen wasn't necessarily the type of girl Lois would pair him up with but Clark was a big boy who could take care of himself. Lois refused to get involved and as they disappeared into the elevator, she turned her attention to the computer.

She looked down at the keyboard, her fingers barely touching the keys. She looked up at the computer screen again, waiting for the word flow to get going but nothing happened. She stared at the screen in silence until she finally leaned back with a heavy sigh.

"I need coffee!" she muttered and got out of the chair, marching out of the bullpen with determined steps.

* * *

Much like Clark had predicted, if only as a joke, the movie night consisted of one horror flick after another. During the first movie Lois had been seated with the popcorn bowl in her lap, consuming a fist full of salty popcorn whenever she felt a snarky comment coming on. She knew that Chloe had only invited them out of the kindness of her heart, but truth be told Lois wasn't in a very social mood. And Gwen snuggling up next to Clark hadn't gone by unnoticed by her either, which only worsened her mood.

As the end credits started rolling, Chloe suddenly grabbed the half empty popcorn bowl from Lois and walked into the kitchen to prepare some more popcorn. Lois now had a clear view of Clark and Gwen, what with Jimmy sitting on the floor resting his back against the sofa. She suppressed the grunt making its way up inside of her and abruptly got off the sofa, heading into the kitchen to Chloe.

"I'll reimburse you for the popcorn, cuz," Lois said as she leaned against the kitchen counter, watching Chloe preparing snacks for the second movie sitting.

"No need for that, Lois," Chloe smiled, turning to look at her cousin. "What's with your sudden love for popcorn anyway?"

"I skipped lunch," Lois said with a shrug. Which wasn't entirely a lie, but Lois didn't feel like spilling all the boring details to Chloe.

"So you're filling up on popcorn and soda instead?" Chloe smiled. "Sounds like something Lois Lane would do."

"Hey, don't knock till you tried it," Lois said, letting on a smile.

"Thanks, but I think I'll stick to real food," Chloe laughed and put in the popcorn in the microwave before waltzing past Lois with two bowls of snacks on her way into the living room. Lois ignored the growl coming from her stomach and remained leaned against the kitchen counter, cringing at the sound of Gwen laughing from the living room. She definitely didn't like the new uncomfortable feeling she'd been experiencing since Gwen first laid eyes on Clark, but she kept repeating to herself that it was none of her business.

"Lois, are you coming?" Chloe asked as she appeared in the kitchen doorway. Lois snapped out of her daze and looked over at the microwave, becoming aware of the popping sound coming from it.

"Yeah, in a minute," she said with a nod in the direction of the microwave. Chloe nodded in reply and walked back to the others. Lois listened to the opening credits to the second movie Jimmy had put on, not feeling very tempted to go back in there but she quickly dismissed the immature idea of sneaking out. The sudden ping from the microwave brought her back to reality and she walked over to pick out the popcorn bag, dragging her feet back into the living room again with a forced smile on her face.

"So, what are we watching?"

* * *

Lois reluctantly reached out and hit the snooze button on her alarm clock, rolling over on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She'd already noticed the empty mattress at the other end of the room and the clattering coming downstairs from the kitchen indicated that Gwen was up and about.

It had been three days since the movie night and Lois had done her part to avoid talking about whatever had transpired between Clark and Gwen. She'd focused on work to keep her mind occupied but since it was the weekend she was all out of excuses.

She listened to Gwen's muffled voice from downstairs and firmly hit the off button on her alarm clock, deciding that it was time she stopped moping around. Lois Lane wasn't one to lie around in bed all day over some guy. With a heavy sigh, she quickly got out of bed and put on her morning robe before heading down the stairs.

Coming down the last flight of stairs, Lois nearly stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of fresh pancakes sitting on the kitchen counter. She slowly walked into the kitchen, deeply inhaling the scent that caused her stomach to growl with hunger.

"Surprise!" Gwen exclaimed with a grin as she appeared alongside Lois.

"You did all this?" Lois asked, feeling guilty for her behavior the past few days.

"And I even threw in some blueberry," Gwen said with a smile and winked.

"You're spoiling me rotten," Lois said as she walked over to the kitchen counter, instantly poured maple syrup over the pancakes on her plate and opened her mouth to take a bite, only to be interrupted by Clark coming through the kitchen door accompanied by Shelby. Lois picked up her plate with pancakes, glaring down at the dog wagging his tail.

"Don't even think about it," she muttered and exchanged a quick glance with Clark before walking into the living room. She took a seat in the sofa and turned on the TV, digging into her blueberry pancakes.

"I bet you guys must be hungry after your long walk?" Gwen asked, smiling towards both Clark and Shelby.

"Nothing for me thanks," Clark said, nodding at Shelby. "But I think Shelby here is up for some kibble."

"Anything for Shelby boy!" Gwen chirped and pulled out the kibble bag, filling up Shelby's bowl. She walked over and put down the bowl, signing for Shelby to come get his food. He happily strolled over to her, suddenly stopping dead in his tracks and stared at her in silence.

"What's the matter, Shelby? Don't you want some tasty kibble?" Gwen asked and took a step closer to Shelby, causing him to growl while backing away from her.

"Shelby, what's the matter?" Clark asked, frowning, squatting down next to Shelby. The dog growled louder and exposed his teeth, still maintaining eye contact with Gwen.

"Maybe he's not in the mood for kibble," Gwen said and shrugged casually, seemingly unfazed by Shelby's reaction to her.

"Yeah, that must be it," Lois said sarcastically as she stepped up beside Gwen, glaring down at Clark. "Hey, maybe he'd like some fresh air better."

Clark looked up at Lois, knowing she wasn't making a friendly suggestion. At the time being it was probably for the better to put some distance between Shelby and Gwen, but Clark couldn't shake the feeling that something was up. Shelby rarely disliked a person unless he had good reasons to.

"Yeah maybe you're right," Clark said and avoided Lois' stare as he opened the kitchen door, watching Shelby more than gladly run out of the house. After he closed the door, he turned to Gwen with an apologetic expression on his face. Lois couldn't help but notice the smile Gwen flashed back at him, struggling to hold back the grunt bubbling up inside of her. Instead she cleared her throat loudly, getting both Clark and Gwen's attention.

"I think Shelby isn't the one who needs some fresh air," she said. "Looks like it's going be a sunny day. Perfect weather for a run. Excuse me."

Without awaiting for a response, Lois walked past Clark and Gwen and headed up the stairs quicker than anticipated. She heard them started talking just as she shut the door to the guest room, letting out a heavy sigh while gathering her thoughts for a moment. That jealous side of her was starting to rear its ugly head and she wished she could suppress it like she had been doing for quite some time now.

She abruptly shook her head and walked over to the closet, pulling out her sports bra and shorts. She absently minded changed clothing, fiercely pulling up her hair into a neat ponytail. Giving herself a quick once over in the mirror before exiting the guest room, Lois walked down the stairs with a stern look on her face.

"Oh, you're actually going for a run?" Gwen said with a frown at what Lois was wearing. "I just thought you were joking around."

"Hate to disappoint you," Lois said in a defensive tone of voice. "So I take it you're not in the mood to join me?"

"Not exactly, no," Gwen said and shrugged. "I think I'm just gonna hang out with Clark for a while."

In an instant, Lois' felt that twinge of jealousy inside of her when Gwen mentioned Clark. For a brief moment Lois considered actually saying something to Gwen regarding the current situation with Clark, but as usual she instead went into denial. She put on a perky smile and gave Gwen a quick nod.

"Yeah, sure," she said. "Well, I better going if I wanna avoid the crazy morning rush of jogging farmers."

"I imagine the roads will be crawling with them," Gwen smiled as Lois walked past her, heading for the kitchen door.

"So you're going out?" Clark blurted out as he walked in through the kitchen door. Lois turned around and shot him a glare, resisting the sudden urge to slap him. He could be surprisingly dense at times that Lois was starting to wonder if he was acting or actually that clueless.

"For a run. Like I said before," she said and swept past Clark, opened up the kitchen door and ran down the porch stairs. She turned on her iPod without even slowing down, instead increasing her speed the further down the road she got. Thoughts were whirling around in her head, creating chaos that not even the loud music could block. She started running even faster, leaving behind a long trail of dust clouds.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED...**

_(Now the real fun begins!)_


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

**

* * *

  
**

Clark stared at the closed kitchen door in silence for a moment, contemplating Lois' strange behavior. He was used to her being snarly and moody towards him, it sometimes went both ways. But lately he'd noticed a different kind of tension between the two, who usually tolerated each other and for the most part stayed on good terms. Clark couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was definitely different about Lois.

"A penny for your thoughts."

Gwen's voice cut through Clark's thoughts and he abruptly looked over at her, realizing he had zoned out there for a moment thinking about Lois Lane. Something he never even dreamed about doing, unless it was an evil scheme of getting rid of her.

"You'd be wasting your money, trust me," Clark said with a polite smile. Gwen shrugged her shoulders, walking over to the refrigerator.

"So, got any plans on your day off?" she asked with her back to Clark. "Or are you gonna stay cooped up at the office?"

Clark watched as Gwen bent down to grab something inside the refrigerator, suddenly realizing he was staring at her backside. He quickly looked away and nervously cleared his throat, thinking of what to say next.

"Uhm, yeah, I've considered going into Metropolis to get some errands done," he said, fixating on a kitchen painting as Gwen turned around facing him holding a glass of juice. He could practically feel her piercing eyes on him and as he slowly turned his head to face her, he noticed she was smiling behind the rim of the glass.

"You sure know how to have a good time, Clark," she murmured into the glass. "I thought maybe you and Lois were doing something today."

"_Together_?"

Gwen just barely managed to hold back laughter at the sight of Clark's expression.

"Don't look so horrified, Clark," she said. "I mean, you guys are friends after all, right?"

"For the most part, yes," Clark said and couldn't help but return the smile.

"Mostly when she's in the mood I bet," Gwen said, putting down the empty glass in the kitchen sink. There was something in her voice that caught Clark's attention. She was no longer smiling and the look in her eyes was anything but cheerful.

"Gwen, what's wrong?" he asked, taking a step closer.

"I was just –"

Gwen sighed heavily, continuing to stare down at the kitchen sink.

"You've heard about Lois' dad, right?"

Clark nearly cringed at the mentioning of The General, remembering the uncomfortable feeling when meeting him years ago.

"Well, my dad was ten times worse if you can believe it. Suffice to say, we rarely got along. And unlike Lois, I didn't even have a sister to keep me company whenever Dad was away on another one of his top secret missions."

Gwen looked up from the sink, staring directly into Clark's eyes. She could tell that he was moved by her story and for the first time in a long time, she wasn't lying.

"I'm sorry I'm getting all emotional," she said with a forced smile, maintaining steady eye contact with Clark. They were only inches apart now and Gwen's attention shifted from Clark's eyes to his lips. The fact that he was the first guy in ages not hitting on her only made him so much more appealing. She carefully leaned in closer, still focused on his lips. Just as she was about to make her final move, Clark grabbed hold of her.

"Gwen, I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong impression, but this is not such a good idea," he said and for a moment Gwen thought she was hallucinating. She'd never met a guy who actually could resist her, let alone _reject_ her.

"_What_?"

She knew how dumb it must've sounded, but she was practically in shock over Clark's unexpected cavalry. But then when she actually thought about it, she wasn't so surprised. Before Clark even opened his mouth, Gwen made an attempt to save face.

"You're right. I think I just got carried away, reminiscing about Dad and everything. Thanks for stopping me from doing something stupid, Clark."

She mustered up a smile and patted Clark on the shoulder for added credibility, quickly moving past him and up the stairs without another word. Clark was left contemplating what just had transpired between the two, unaware that Lois was right outside the front door. And that she had seen everything.

* * *

Lois leaned back in her chair, studying the lines of the text she'd spent the past hour trying to clean up. Even with the spelling program she'd begun to use recently, she still wasn't satisfied with the result. And deep down she knew exactly why, although she bluntly refused to think about it.

Across from her, Clark was hard at work with his upcoming piece, typing away at a rate that was starting to annoy Lois more than usual. She took a sip of her coffee before throwing the empty cup in the trash, unaware of the pile of cups she had accumulated.

"You need a hand with that?"

Lois tilted her head to the side, staring at Clark from behind her computer.

"What makes you think I need any help?"

"Judging from the seven cups of coffee and the chewed down pencil you're holding, I'd say you're either stuck or at least having trouble concentrating."

Lois glanced down at the pencil in her hand, noticing the bite marks on it. She quickly tossed it on the trash, maintaining eye contact with Clark.

"If I'm having trouble concentrating it's only because you're typing loudly," she said, not wanting to tell him the real reason why she was in a foul mood.

"Typing... _loudly_?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, but I'm not sure that's the reason. No one else seems to be bothered by my typing."

"They probably don't wanna hurt your feelings or something."

"Which you don't mind doing?"

"Well, it's not like you're actually _hurt_, so yeah, I don't mind."

"I can see that," Clark said, sensing that something was actually bothering Lois and that she wasn't just messing with him.

"Now, if you excuse me, I have a _front page_ article to finish," Lois said abruptly and went back to staring at her computer screen.

Clark hesitated for a moment before resuming his typing, causing Lois to cringe at the sound. She continued to stare at the screen, grabbing hold of another pencil and squeezed it tight. She begged for inspiration to strike but instead she grew more and more aware of Clark's loud typing. At the rate he was going he would've finished several articles before she'd even completed one.

"Uhm, Lois?"

"_What_?!" Lois cried out, forcefully slamming down the pencil on the desk, causing everybody in the bullpen to stop what they were doing and look in her direction. She glared up at Jimmy, whom nervously cleared his throat before hesitantly handing her a few photos.

"You wanted to check out the pictures for tomorrow's piece," he said and Lois' attention shifted to the photos in his hand. She also realized at the same time that everyone was watching her in complete silence.

"Thanks, Jimmy," she said and quickly grabbed the photos, placing them on her desk.

"No problem."

When Jimmy was far away enough, Lois sighed heavily as she leaned back in her chair and stared once again at the taunting computer screen. If she allowed herself, the very vivid memory of Gwen and Clark's kiss would enter her mind like it had all through the night. She refused to let it occupy her mind at work where she always was at her best, so she quickly blocked the memory before it could do anymore damage.

"You sure you don't want some help?" Clark suddenly asked and Lois noticed that he was standing right beside her this time. Her first thought was to snarl at him to make him go away but truth be told, she wasn't too keen on the idea of spending the night glued to her computer to make the deadline.

"What about your precious article?" she said, barely able to disguise the sarcasm in her voice. After years of masking her emotions with spiteful sarcasm it wasn't easy recognizing kindness even when it was right in front of her.

"Already finished," Clark said with a hint of a smile, causing Lois to finally give it up. She needed the help and in the end Clark was the best guy for the job.

"Pull up a chair," she sighed, letting on a smile as she turned her attention back to the computer screen. All of the sudden she picked up on a familiar scent and turned to face Clark, realizing he was holding two coffee cups. Lois practically started drooling at the sight and delicious smell of coffee with just the right amount of sugar.

"How…?" she started, trailing off when she saw the expression on Clark's face.

"I figured you could use some reinforcement," he said and handed her one of the coffee cups. Lois inhaled the smell with a satisfied expression before taking the first swig.

"Just when I think I got you pegged, Smallville," she said with a teasing smile.

"Glad to hear I can still surprise you," Clark smiled behind the rim of his cup. Lois overlooked his smugness and instead enjoyed the fresh coffee, savoring the sugar.

"Better?" Clark asked, already knowing the answer by just looking at her.

"Much. Thanks, Clark," Lois sighed happily, before quickly returning to business. "But don't go getting any ideas. Now, we've got work to do so I suggest you fill up on that caffeine."

"Sure thing… _partner_."

"Flattery will get you nowhere with this reporter, Kent."

"Whatever you say, Lane."

They stared at each other for a moment in silence, momentarily blocking out the sounds of the buzzing bullpen. Lois suddenly cleared her throat before quickly looking away, taking another swig of coffee to gather her thoughts.

"So, any ideas?" she asked, focusing on the computer screen. "About the article?"

"Well, I guess you could –"

Clark was cut short by Lois' cell phone started vibrating on her desk. She put down her coffee cup and looked over at the display, her face becoming stern when she recognized whose number it was. After what had transpired yesterday, Lois had to the best of her ability avoided Gwen without making it seem obvious.

The last thing she wanted was for their lifelong friendship to end simply because of a silly kiss. A kiss that took place between two consenting adults and that was none of her business. Lois suppressed a grunt and turned off her cell phone, going back drinking her coffee again.

"Who was it?" Clark asked.

"Wrong number," Lois said with a nonchalant shrug, finishing off her coffee.

* * *

If it was one thing you could depend on, it was that dinner at the Kent house without Martha's present would go by rather quietly. Clark didn't mind the silence when it was just him by the dinner table but it was different with both Lois and Gwen there. Lois usually didn't say much during dinner, especially not in the company of Clark, but that evening she wasn't herself.

No snappy remarks at Clark's taste in fashion, no glaring at Shelby who was lying on the floor right next to Lois' chair or even as much as a sigh regarding today's work. Which made Clark sure that something was bothering Lois but it wasn't like he could just ask her about it. Gwen on the other hand didn't seem to pick up on Lois' behavior and instead chatted away without a care in the world.

"I never thought Metropolis was much to brag about before I got here," she said, taking a swig of water. "But I have to admit that I was wrong. Metropolis ain't half bad."

Clark took a moment to make the observation that Shelby had kept his distance from Gwen, refraining from growling. The dog's instincts usually was right so Clark wondered what it was about Gwen that made Shelby feel unease.

"You know, the three of us should really have a night out… what with me leaving soon and everything," Gwen suddenly blurted out. Lois looked up from her dinner plate, giving Clark a quick glance before focusing her attention on Gwen.

"Sorry to be a drag, but I'm really not in the mood to go out tonight," she said, doing her best to look apologetic for Gwen. "But you guys should definitely go and have a good time. Don't let me get in the way."

Without awaiting a reply from neither Clark nor Gwen, Lois got up from her seat and headed up the stairs as fast she could without actually running. She closed the guest room door behind her, leaning against it for a moment to gather her thoughts.

In the meanwhile downstairs, Clark was trying to come up with excuses to avoid going out to some tacky nightclub with Gwen. Aside from the fact that nightclubs weren't his thing, he wouldn't feel comfortable spending an evening alone with Gwen after their little misunderstanding the day before. She acted as if nothing had happened but Clark still felt weird being around her.

"You don't have to if you don't want."

Clark looked up from his plate, finding Gwen with a saddened expression on her face.

"What?"

"After what happened yesterday, I'm not surprised if you don't wanna spend time with me even just as friends. I'll just stay inside in front of the TV, watching some lame sitcom."

Something in Gwen's voice made her sound really hurt and yet at the same time Clark figured she was probably trying to make him feel guilty. And it was working.

"The way I see it, nothing actually happened yesterday, so nothing is stopping us from enjoying each other's company as friends," he said, forcing on a friendly smile.

"You're sure? Because I don't want to force you into anything you don't feel like doing," Gwen said, trying to mask her excitement.

"You're not forcing me into anything, Gwen," Clark said, this time with a genuine smile.

Gwen returned the smile and stood up, walking over to the kitchen with both her and Lois' plate. After rinsing them seemingly clean with water, she slowly turned around and looked over at Clark.

"Well, I better get ready and see if Lois is okay," she said and headed for the stairs. Clark put down his dinner plate on the floor in front of Shelby, watching as the Golden Retriever gladly devoured the food.

"At least one of us still has his appetite," Clark mumbled and made sure the coast was clear before clearing off the dinner table and doing the dishes in a blink of an eye.

He walked back over to Shelby and picked up the empty plate, suddenly hearing muffled voices from upstairs. As he walked over to the kitchen sink, he tuned into his super hearing but before he could hear anything of value, he heard Gwen coming down the stairs. He quickly disposed of the last dinner plate and looked out over the spotless kitchen and living room, pleased with the result.

"You ready to get going, Clark?" Gwen asked as she sauntered into the kitchen, all dressed up in a black little dress combined with black pumps. Clark once again made sure his eyes didn't wander into inappropriate territory. Gwen gave him a quick once over and a small frown appeared on her face.

"Or maybe not," she said. "I think you might wanna change into something a little more appropriate. I'll wait outside."

Without awaiting an answer from Clark, Gwen patted him on the shoulder with a bright grin and waltzed out the kitchen door. At that moment Clark could definitely see the resemblance between Lois and her, proving that it was going to be a very long night.

* * *

After stepping out of the shower, Lois grabbed hold of the nearest bath towel and wrapped it around her before slowly turning the doorknob. She listened for any kind of sounds, relieved to find it completely quiet before heading down the hall to the guest room. Letting the bath towel fall to the floor, Lois put on her pajamas and the bathrobe for added warmth. She quickly pulled the brush through her tangled hair before heading out of the guest room, down the stairs and straight into the empty kitchen.

As she went to open the freezer for her usual late night snack, Lois hesitated for a moment and glanced around the house. She found herself unable to recall the last time she'd been alone on the farm; she was even more surprised when realizing that she didn't like it. Not having Clark lurking around the house was a good thing but not even having Martha to talk to made Lois exhale sharply. She hastily opened the freezer, grabbed the tub of ice cream and a spoon before walking into the living room. Using her free hand to turn on the TV, Lois then plumped down on the sofa with a heavy sigh.

Much like expected, there was nothing worthwhile on but Lois' mind had already drifted off. She continued to spoon up ice cream while she contemplated calling Chloe and have her come over for some much needed girl talk. At the same time Lois went over what had almost taken place between Gwen and Clark, causing her to consume the ice cream more frantically and earning herself a very unpleasant brain freeze in the process.

"_Damn it_!" she hissed and put down the tub of ice cream on the coffee table, rubbing her temples until the pain passed. "Damn that Clark Kent! Damn _everything_!"

Lois leaned back in the sofa, running a hand through her damp hair and exhaling slowly. She really had a knack of do things the hard way even when it wasn't necessary.

Lois of all people had noticed the apparent changes in her old childhood friend but a part of her had been in serious denial before Chloe brought up the subject. Gwen had been there for Lois when everybody else wasn't, including Chloe. They had practically grown up together, moving from one army base to another at the same time for several years. Lois had been sure that they would've stayed together forever; so sure that she even dared to make plans for the future.

That came back to bite her in the ass when the girls' fathers renounced their friendship over something unmentionable. Ever since that day, Lois hadn't been at the same army base as Gwen and eventually Lois lost all contact with Gwen and learned to move on like so many other times before. The shock of seeing Gwen again soon changed into happiness and Lois didn't want to face the fact that that happiness was based on who Gwen _used_ to be.

"God, I need more sugar," Lois sighed and dragged her feet into the kitchen again, searching the cupboards for anything sugary enough to snap her out of her current comatose state. Just as she had spotted what she'd been looking for, the doorbell rang.

"Who in their right mind shows up at _this_ hour?" she muttered whilst walking out into the hallway, checking herself in the mirror before reluctantly opening the door. Lois' mind went blank as she stared back at the two police detectives, knowing whatever reason had made them show up at the farm couldn't be good.

"Can I help you?" she asked, unable to hide her dumbfounded expression.

"I'm Detective Wallis and this Detective Jacoby," the male detective said, giving off a brief nod in his partners' direction before continuing. "We're sorry to be disturbing you at this hour, ma'am, but it's of great importance that we speak to one Lois Lane."

Once again, Lois failed at keeping a straight face and her mouth went dry. She was no stranger to the Metropolis police force due to work and she'd gotten herself into some trouble in the past, but this was different. They didn't send out two detectives to collect unpaid parking tickets or to criticize a newspaper article.

"What's it about?" Lois hesitantly asked.

"It's about murder, ma'am," Detective Wallis said. "So, you know where we can find Ms. Lane?"

"You're looking at her," Lois sighed, regretting opening the door in the first place.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED. . . .**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **_So apparently it's been about six months since my last update on this story and I have to say, I'm even shocked. Seeing as how I still had enough written for at least two more chapter updates before continuing on with the story. I'm hoping that even the most dedicated readers will continue on reading these last few chapters and even though I've said it before, this time I'm actually going to finish the damn thing. I'm currently on my summer vacation that will last to the third week of August so I'll have plenty of time until then to finish two fan fictions that's been in the works for the past four to five years. One of them being "Bittersweet." Now, since it's getting pretty late over here I haven't bothered doing a spelling check of this chapter so there might be some flaws here and there. But I'm thinking you're all just happy to have a new chapter update from me at this point, right? And hey, feel free to bombard me with PM's if the next chapter update is taking too long. God knows I could certainly use a push or two.  


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_

**CHAPTER 6**

It hadn't taken long for Gwen to gain the attention from other guys after arriving at the nightclub. Clark noticed right away that she seemed to thrive on the attention and although he was in no way jealous, he couldn't help but wonder why she'd dragged him along in the first place.

"Come on, Clark, lighten up!" Gwen exclaimed as she bumped into Clark at the bar.

"Oh, believe me, I'm trying to," he said while stirring around in his Coke. Gwen looked down at the glass of soda before downing her shot of vodka.

"You're gonna get nowhere if you stick to soda all night," she said, her breath beginning to reek of alcohol.

"Sorry, but alcohol isn't really my thing and besides, I'm doing the driving tonight," Clark said and watched as Gwen ordered her next round of shots.

"Well then, I shall do the drinking for the both of us," she said and staggered a bit to her right.

"Don't you think you've had enough, Gwen?" Clark said and Gwen waved him off, downing the shot of vodka before he could get another word in.

"I haven't even gotten started yet," she said and signaled for the bartender to keep the drinks coming. "You should've seen me and Lo back in the day. We sure could party!"

"Somehow I don't find that hard to believe," Clark said, barely able to hold back the gloomy expression appearing on his face.

"I mean, these days she's this big shot reporter at one of the biggest newspapers in the country but once upon a time Lois Lane wasn't very big on work at all," Gwen said and plopped down on a bar stool next to Clark.

"Yeah, I remember," Clark said, swallowing a mouthful of soda. "So what have you been up to over the years?"

Gwen circled the top of the shot glass with her fingertips, contemplating the answer to Clark's seemingly easy question. He studied the somber look on her face, getting the impression that she was probably remembering some less than pleasant things.

"Pretty much the opposite as to what Lois has been doing," Gwen finally blurted out and suddenly she was smiling again. She raised her glass in a toast at Clark before downing the vodka in one quick swoop.

"Do I even wanna know how many more of those you're planning on drinking?" Clark asked with a frown.

"Probably not," Gwen said with a nonchalant shrug as she got off the bar stool. "Excuse me for a moment."

Clark watched as she practically staggered over to a complete stranger on the other side of the dance floor, clearly in the mood for some flirting. Which certainly proved that whatever crush she had had on Clark was gone, giving him a reason to ease up.

He turned back around facing the bar, fishing out his cell phone from his pants pocket. A sudden and unexplained urge to check up on Lois entered his mind but he quickly dismissed the idea. Had it been anybody else, they would've appreciated the gesture but Lois Lane wasn't like everyone else. So Clark called the person who's help he needed the most.

"_Clark?_"

Clark couldn't help but smile at the sound of Chloe's voice on the other end.

"Surprised to hear from me?"

"_Actually, I just about to call you. You'll never guess what I just did._"

The sound in her voice made Clark's senses kick into high gear. She wasn't her usual cheerful self which meant something had happened.

"Are you okay?" he asked, unable to conceal his worry.

"_Yeah, I'm fine. Not so sure about Lois, though. Clark, the police picked her up for questioning regarding the poisoned guy outside the nightclub. Apparently they're talking to all the people in the club that night._"

"Then they're probably gonna wanna talk to Gwen," Clark said, glancing over at Gwen.

"_Yeah, I'd say so. Look, I just got back to your house with Lois and I'm thinking leaving her alone right now is not such a good idea._"

"I'll grab Gwen and we'll head back," Clark said and ended the phone call, paying the bartender for his soda before setting off to find Gwen.

After he'd made his way through the crowded dance floor, he realized that she was gone. The sofa she and the guy had occupied seconds earlier was now empty. Clark looked around the dance floor, not able to pick out Gwen in the crowd. She was also nowhere to be found in the remaining sofas. He used his super hearing to try and locate her but to no use.

"Looking for someone?"  
Clark turned around at the sound of Gwen's voice and couldn't help but wonder where she had run off to but he decided to question her about that later. At the moment he had more important things on his mind but he'd come to the conclusion that something wasn't quite right about Gwen.

"It's time to head back to the farm, Gwen," Clark said and ushered her towards the door.

"Aw, do we have to?" she whined, her voice nearly fading out due to the loud music.

"I'm afraid so," Clark said, silently praying that he could use his super speed to get them back to the farm. At the speed they were going, getting out of the club was proving to take the entire night. Not to mention the drive back from Metropolis to Smallville with a drunken Gwen and that was going to be no walk in the park.

"Why are you suddenly in such a rush to leave? I thought you were having _fun_?" Gwen exclaimed and slammed on the brakes, stopping dead in her tracks in front of Clark. She turned around and tried giving him a serious look, but it had no effect on Clark.

"I'll explain in the car," he said and turned her around, gently pushing her towards the exit. Discussing such a delicate subject in the middle of a packed nightclub wasn't something Clark was about to do, especially not with someone who wasn't going to remember much of it in the morning.

Once they were finally outside, Clark picked up the pace heading for his truck. Gwen went along without any more complaining, doing her best not to stagger off the sidewalk. The booming sound of music toned down as they reached the truck. Clark quickly ushered Gwen into the passenger seat, shutting the car door before walking around the truck and got in behind the wheel. Without another word, he started the engine and left the parking lot, glancing over at Gwen every now and then to make sure she was okay. Before they'd even left Metropolis, she was sound asleep leaning against the car window.

* * *

Chloe turned her head at the sound of the car pulling up outside the Kent house. She got up from the couch and walked over to the front door, peering out through the window before realizing a sigh of relief.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Chloe said as she opened the front door, remaining standing in the threshold.

"That bad, huh?" Clark asked as he helped Gwen out of the pickup. She had had time to sober up a bit but still staggered on her way from the car to the front door. Chloe suppressed her urge to comment on Gwen's drunken state, deciding to focus her entire attention on Lois instead.

"Oh, I'd say so," Chloe said to Clark as he closed the door behind him. Gwen walked into the living room without a word, collapsing onto the sofa and within seconds she was breathing heavily. Chloe gave Clark a stare regarding Gwen but Clark waved it off, signaling for them to head into the kitchen as quickly as possible.

"You mind telling me why Gwen can't even walk upright?" Chloe hissed at Clark once they entered the kitchen area.

"Could be because she probably consumed an entire vodka bottle on her own at the club," Clark whispered and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out a bottle of water. Chloe failed miserably at keeping a straight face, however managing to hold back a shriek. She looked over at Gwen's unconscious body on the sofa before walking over to Clark, lowering her voice as she spoke.

"Look, I ran a background check on Gwen like you asked and trust me, you are not gonna like the results."

"What did you find?"

"Well, like you'd already suspected, Gwen's father is dead. However, seeing as he was in the Army and everything, I haven't been able to found out the cause of death yet. But the thing that got my attention was the mysterious death of Gwen's former boyfriend."

"Define 'mysterious'."

"He was poisoned."

"Any chance it could've been suicide or an accident?"  
"The police sure didn't think so, given the fact that Gwen was their prime suspect until she was cleared thanks to her big shot lawyer."

"So we've got two questionable deaths, both connected to Gwen?"

Clark really didn't like the thought of Lois' best friend being capable of murder. He downed the last of the water, tossing the empty bottle in the trash. He quickly looked over at Gwen who was still passed out.

"Does Lois know about this?" Clark asked and Chloe shook her head.

"There's no way I'm telling her that after what she's been through tonight. You're just lucky I got there in time before she knocked those two detectives unconscious."

"So I take it me going to talk to her might not be such a good idea?"

"You could give it a try but don't expect her to be in a very talkative mood," Chloe said with a shrug. "She did her fair share of whining about the police detectives on the car ride home but once we walked in through the front door, she headed up to the guest room without another word."

Clark would've normally taken Chloe's advice and stayed far away from Lois, avoiding any chance at feeling her wrath. But it was different now and Clark couldn't quite understand it himself, but he didn't mind going up and talking to Lois. Well aware of her snarky comments and deadly glares, refusing to let that stop him this time around.

"Make sure she doesn't wander off," Clark said with a nod at Gwen and before Chloe could get out a comeback, he was already upstairs.

"I hate when he does that!" Chloe muttered to herself and sighed.

* * *

Lois sat on the bed, staring out over the guest room in complete silence. In a few days' time she would be packing up all her belongings and haul them back to the apartment, once again working overtime just to avoid seeing Chloe and Jimmy locking lips. Just the mere thought made her shiver.

She looked down at her improvised outfit she'd put on before being taken down to the police station. The jeans were stained and the T-shirt didn't look much cleaner, not to mention her damp hair that was a complete mess by now. There hadn't been much time for fixing the hair or applying any make-up so she must've looked like she just rolled out of bed. Or just taken a shower after a long and tiring day at work, mostly spent not thinking about that infamous kiss between Clark and Gwen.

Lois grunted, abruptly getting off the bed and changing out of the jeans and T-shirt. She pushed back the unpleasant thoughts while picking out a clean pair of pajamas. After changing into her pajamas, she pulled the hairbrush through her hair until it straightened out. As she put down the brush on the dresser, someone knocked on the door.

"Chloe, I told you –"

When she opened the door, Lois trailed off as she saw that it was Clark and not Chloe. He slowly lowered his hand and gave her a sympathetic look. Lois would've normally thrown a snarky comment his way to wipe that look off of his face but this time she didn't bother. She was beat and some sympathy felt kind of nice for once.

"I heard what happened," Clark said gently. "How are you holding up?"

"Oh, you know me, Smallville. I always manage to bounce back," Lois said with a halfhearted laugh. Clark didn't buy it for a second but he knew that Lois always kept a straight face even when she was falling apart on the inside.

"Well, it's not every day you're a murder suspect," he said.

"No, it's been a while. I thought I'd put those days behind me."

"Try to look at it from the bright side."

"What? That I wasn't actually arrested?"

Clark practically blushed as he'd fumbled to cheer her up, reminding himself that this was Lois Lane he was talking to. She and Chloe, despite being cousins, were as different as night and day. What usually worked with Chloe almost never worked with Lois, something Clark was still learning.

"You're right, it's not much of a comfort," Clark said and scratched the back of his head, trying to think of what to say next. Lois would've normally teased him about being nervous but instead she smiled at him.

"But it's always something," she said and leaned her head against the door. "Just not my ideal way of spending an evening."

"I have to agree with you on that one," Clark said, letting on a smile himself.

"Hey, where's Gwen?" Lois asked, suddenly remembering that Gwen had been with Clark at the nightclub. Even though Lois wasn't in the mood to chat with her childhood friend, she was curious as to why Gwen wasn't up in the guest room already.

"Oh, she's downstairs sleeping on the couch," Clark said hesitantly. It didn't take long for Lois to figure out why and she automatically rolled her eyes, letting out a sigh.

"The girl sure knows how to party," she said.

"A little too well if you ask me."

"I guess some people never change."

"Or they do change and we just don't notice it," Clark mumbled and looked away for a split second, which was all it took for Lois to react.

"What's that suppose to mean?" she asked and Clark reestablished eye contact again.

"Just that people change over the years. You and Gwen haven't seen each other in a long time and a lot can happen in between," he said.

"I'm aware of that, Smallville," Lois said, unable to mask the sarcasm in her voice. The wall around her was up again and Clark knew better than to try and knock it down.

"Of course you are," he said.

"Look, I'm pretty tired so I just gonna hit the hay," Lois said and started closing the door. "Night, Smallville."

Before Clark could get out a reply, she'd closed the door right in his face. He stood there for a moment in silence, contemplating saying what was really on his mind. He raised the hand to knock on the door but at the last second stopped dead in his tracks. The last thing he wanted was to upset Lois so he decided to head back down to Chloe instead.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED. . . . **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **_So this chapter is gonna be pretty short because I divided up the ending into two chapters. Yes, I've finally completed this story after four years! (Two fan fictions this week that are four and five years old which is a huge load off my back!) So this fall when the new season of **Smallville** starts I'll most likely start writing on my new Clois fan fiction if work don't take up too much of my time. Until then, enjoy the beginning of the end of "Bittersweet" and in a few days time you'll finally get to read the final chapter! :)  


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**CHAPTER 7**

The following morning, Gwen awoke with a sour taste in her mouth. She squinted her eyes at the bright morning sun shining in through the living room window. When she looked around the room she noticed it was deserted and no sounds could be heard anywhere else in the house.

She hesitantly got up from the couch, walking over to the kitchen counter on wobbly legs. As she grabbed hold of the counter for support, she noticed the note placed next to a glass of a very suspicious beverage.

"Either the dog threw up or Lo has worked her magic," Gwen mumbled to herself and smelled the beverage, fighting back the urge to hurl. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and downed everything in one swoop. Staggering over to the kitchen sink, she rinsed out the bitter aftertaste with some ice cold water and then walked over to take a look at the note Lois had left.

"_Sorry about the hangover mixture but I figured after the night you had, you'd need something to restart your batteries. Breakfast is in the fridge thanks to Clark so no need to worry. I'm gonna be pretty swamped at work today so Clark promised to take you out for a bite to eat._"

Gwen walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door, delighted to see a plate of pancakes with her name on it. Literally. She hastily pulled it out, along with the juice carton, and closed the refrigerator door with her hip before preparing to heat up the pancakes. After placing the plate inside the microwave and turning it on, she looked over at the kitchen clock.

"Oh, I better get a move on!" she muttered, realizing she only had an hour or so probably before Clark showed up.

But just as the microwave finished heating up the pancakes, the vodka shots she'd had last night made themselves reminded. She ran up the stairs as fast as she could, barely making it to the bathroom in time.

* * *

Work was the perfect thing to keep occupied with when you needed to suppress something unpleasant. For Lois, being a newspaper reporter was the one thing she was good at. When everything else around her crumpled she knew a trip to the bullpen would make it all better. But with what had transpired in the past few days, Lois could barely focus on work anymore.

She'd missed out on more than one scoop and had started handing in her articles past the deadline, not earning her any brownie points with Tess. Not that Lois was really trying to actually impress the new boss, but she longed for things to return to normal.

"Almost time for lunch, don't you think?"

Lois snapped out of her daze and looked over at Clark, unwilling recalling the memory of him kissing Gwen. Her expression changed from absentminded to somber for a moment before she quickly turned her attention back to her upcoming article.

"You go ahead. I'm sure Gwen is waiting for you by now," she said and downed the last of her coffee. "I still got some work to do so I'll just have lunch at my desk."

"Why do I get the feeling that you're all of the sudden avoiding Gwen?" Clark asked and Lois temporarily stopped typing, fighting back the urge to throw something sharp at him.

"I'm not _avoiding_ her, I'm _working_. There's a difference, Smallville," she said and quickly resumed her typing again.

"Well, she's apparently your best friend and suddenly it seems like you want nothing to do with her. Did something happen between you two?" Clark pressed on, fully aware of the risk he was taking. If it hadn't been for his superpowers, he would never willingly provoke Lois Lane when she was obviously in a bad mood.

"What's with the sudden interest in my friendship with Gwen?" Lois snapped, turning away from her computer to glare at Clark. "Last time I checked you have no right interfering in things that don't involve you."

"I'm trying to figure out what is bothering you and whether you like it or not, I'm concerned," Clark said.

Lois hastily opened her mouth to explain exactly what was bothering her but she stopped herself at the last second. Mostly because she didn't want everyone else hear about her own little soap opera, but also because she honestly didn't care if Gwen and Clark kissed. Or so she kept on telling herself, while counting backwards from ten in order to calm down.

"No need to be concerned, Smallville, I'm fine. Just not getting a whole lot of sleep because of work, but what else is new?" she said and they stared at each other in silence until Clark suddenly picked up on a distant distress call.

It was one of those moments where he wished he could stay and actually talk things out, but he couldn't let innocent people suffer because he had some personal problems.

"Uhm, I better get going," Clark said hesitantly and got up. "I need to take care of some things before stopping by the farm and picking up Gwen."

"Knock yourself out," Lois said, already back to staring at the computer screen. Clark found himself hesitating for a moment before exiting the bullpen, heading into the stairwell and super speeding down the stairs.

* * *

"Not exactly what I had in mind when you offered to take me to lunch," Gwen said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"Sorry but it was kind of inevitable considering you were at the club together with Lois on the night the murdered happened," Clark said and studied Gwen's face for any kind of reaction. But she kept a straight face, chewing away on her sandwich like she hadn't eaten in days.

Before they had gone out to lunch, Clark had taken Gwen to the police station like planned. She hadn't been thrilled about being interrogated by the police but knew better than to put up a fight.

Afterwards, the police detectives hadn't said anything that indicated that Gwen was a person of interest in the investigation. Although Clark couldn't shake the feeling that Gwen was hiding some dark secrets and so he made sure Chloe continued on with her own little investigation.

"Yeah, I should've figured," Gwen said in between bites, soon finishing off her sandwich. "But I gotta say, for a being cop, that detective were actually kind of nice."

"Sounds like you got some experience with police officers," Clark said and took a swig of his coffee.

He was still waiting for Gwen to reveal more about her past or maybe even perhaps more about that night at the club when the guy was murdered. But so far Gwen upheld her impeccable poker face and was suddenly very tightlipped around him, probably due to the so-called kiss a few nights earlier.

"I wouldn't exactly call it experience," Gwen said.

"No?"

"Okay, so, I've visited one or two sheriff offices in my days, but that's about it."

Just as Clark opened his mouth to ask another question, his cell phone started ringing.

"Excuse me, gotta run to the ladies room," Gwen smiled and headed for the restrooms before Clark had even gotten his cell phone out of his pocket. Looking down at the caller ID, he felt a sense of a relief as he answered.

"Hey, Chlo," he said, absently stirring his coffee.

"_How's it going?_"

"Pretty much like I expected. She's showing no signs of guilt or remorse about what went down at the nightclub. And she didn't seem surprised to hear that Lois was arrested."

"_She's not even making an attempt at showing concern for her best friend?_"

"Not at all," Clark sighed. "So, how's the investigation coming along?"

He heard Chloe trying to suppress a sigh of her own on the other end of the phone.

"_Slowly. But I'm afraid it's not going to be good news in the end. The girl has got a pretty shady past ever since she broke off contact with Lois._"

Clark stared at his coffee cup as if in trance, thinking about how Lois would react when learning the truth about Gwen's past.

Lois wasn't a gullible person and thanks to her investigative reporter instincts hardly anything could get past her, something Clark had learned firsthand when he had to pull one of his disappearing acts. But when it came to Gwen Parker, Lois wasn't quite herself. Or more like she was her old self back when she and Gwen were inseparable, an entire lifetime before Clark got to know Lois Lane.

"_Earth to Clark Kent!_"

"Sorry, what?"

"_I was saying that with a little more time I'll have all the dirt on Gwen and we can take it from there._"

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks, Chlo."

Clark hung up and pocketed his cell phone again, staring at the two cold cups of coffee on the table in front of him.

He turned and looked over at the restrooms, wondering what was taking so long. Then he noticed that Gwen's purse was gone as well which could only mean one thing. Clark rushed over to the restrooms and stopped outside the Ladies' door, using his x-ray vision to see who was inside. But the restroom was empty.

"Unbelievable…!" Clark muttered and dropped off a twenty at the table on his way out the door. He still wasn't sure what it was Gwen was hiding but by now he was unquestionably sure that she was hiding _something_.

* * *

**TO BE CONTINUED. . . .**


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8  
**

**

* * *

**

There had been no lunch at her desk like planned. Instead Lois had decided to drive back to the Kent farm for some peace and quiet, even though she was pretty sure Tess weren't too happy about it. The two women didn't see eye to eye but as far as bosses went, Lois had had worse before. She'd simply make up for it by doing some extra assignments if Tess made a fuss later.

"Hey, Shelby," Lois said tiresome as the Golden Retriever came running towards her, happily wagging his tail like always. "Anything exciting happened today?"

Shelby continued wagging his tail, tilting his head to the side for a brief moment before going over to his empty food bowl.

"Of course not. You're a dog. An exciting day for you consists of eating, sleeping and running around with Clark on the farm," Lois said as she bent down to pick up the food bowl, placing it on the kitchen counter before searching the cabinets for the dog food.

"But then again, it sounds like a pretty decent way of spending your days. No work, no cranky boss, no annoying partner and especially no deadlines," she continued while now absently trying to found the dog food. Shelby walked up next to her, buffing her leg with his nose. She stopped what she was doing and looked down at him for a moment.

"Sorry," she mumbled with an apologetic smile. "I didn't mean to bore you with the details of my _glamorous_ job. Now, where has Clark hidden your food?"

Just as Lois was about to give it up, she remembered where she'd last seen it and opened up one of the lower cabinets next to the sink. Shelby let out a bark when he saw the bag and smelled the kibble as Lois scooped some of it up in his bowl.

"Here we go boy," she said as she closed the cabinet, suddenly feeling a sneeze coming on. Being so close to Shelby for any longer period of time still made her allergies act up but by now she didn't care. Even though she hadn't been too pleased about the Kent family keeping the dog in the first place, she had become quite fond of him over time.

"Bon appétit," Lois said as she put down the bowl and walked back over to the refrigerator to fix herself something to eat. She started taking out things and putting them on the kitchen counter, deciding to throw something together. Cooking definitely wasn't one of her talents but she never failed at peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"This is gonna be _tasty_, Shelby," she said, closing the refrigerator door and placing the loaf of bread next to the other ingredients. Seconds later, she suddenly noticed that Shelby was sitting next to her, the empty bowl in his mouth.

"There's no way you've finished it all _already_!" Lois said and stared down at the dog, as if waiting for him to crack under the pressure like Clark usually did. But Shelby simply looked right back at her with those innocent brown eyes, sweeping his tail across the floor from side to side. Lois sighed, put the bread knife aside and grabbed hold of the dog bowl once more.

"Fine, but don't tell Clark I let you have seconds!" she muttered while opening up the cabinet and filling up the bowl again.

Shelby followed her closely as she walked over and put down the bowl before returning back to fixing her own lunch. She picked up the bread knife, about to spread on some peanut butter on the sandwich, when a sudden gust of wind interrupted her. She lifted her head to look around the kitchen, noticing only Shelby downing the last of his food with the same wagging tail as usual.

"Hey, Lois."

Lois watched as Clark came walking into the kitchen from the hallway, looking rather flushed. She continued on with finishing her sandwich, well aware that Clark was staring.

"You're home early," she said, her eyes fixated on the bread knife and the sandwich. "Where's Gwen?"

"Oh, she had some things to take care of in Metropolis," Clark said.

When truth be told, he had absolutely no idea where Gwen was. He had checked the area surrounding the café they'd been at before super speeding back to the farm, quickly checking the upstairs while Lois was preoccupied in the kitchen. But for someone without any supernatural powers, Gwen sure was good at disappearing without a trace.

"So I take it you two had a good time?" Lois asked, clearly trying to make small talk and failing big time at it. She still wouldn't look at Clark since it would only remind her of him kissing Gwen the other night. Not that it bothered her or anything.

"It was only lunch, Lois, not a date," Clark joked and Lois abruptly gave him one of her deadly glares across the kitchen counter.

She was just about to snap at him for being such an idiot, when Shelby once again buffed at her leg. She looked down at him and decided to drop the matter. Whatever might've transpired between Clark and Gwen really was their business and Lois had more important things to think about than their flirting.

"So, how come you're not at work?" Clark asked, acting oblivious, and walked over to the refrigerator to grab a snack.

Lois watched him from behind, studying him in that navy suit. Once Clark Kent got cleaned up, he actually looked like a legit newspaper reporter.

"Just came for some lunch," she said. "And I had to get away from Tess. She's hounding me about some last minute articles and it's driving me crazy!"

"Then it's probably a good thing you left before it turned ugly," Clark said, still with his back to Lois.

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Lois said and took a bite out of her sandwich.

"Don't I know it," Clark. "I was more concerned for Tess' sake than yours."

"Thanks," Lois mumbled in between mouthfuls of sandwich. Clark couldn't help but smile at the fact that no other woman would take that as a compliment except Lois Lane.

"Lois, how about–"

As if on cue, he was interrupted by his cell phone ringing and he had a pretty guess who it was calling. He barely managed to suppress a grunt as he turned around facing Lois.

"Sorry, I better take this. Could be work calling," he fibbed and walked out the kitchen door without Lois taking notice of him seeing as how she was busy finishing off her lunch.

Once Clark was far enough away from the house, he answered the call.

"Hey, Chloe."

"_Hey. Do you know where Lois is? She's not answering her cell._"

"She's back here at the farm, probably forgot her phone at work."

"_Don't you think it's time we tell her about Gwen?_"

"Not yet. I still think we need more information about Gwen before bothering Lois with this. And even then it might not be the easiest thing to convince her that Gwen is shady."

"_Yeah, I suppose you're right. But I just hate this part of our little investigations; lying to everybody else._"

"Yeah, same here," Clark said, glancing in through the kitchen window to see Lois cleaning up after herself.

Keeping secrets from people was unfortunately something Clark had been doing for far too long but he kept telling himself that it was to protect the ones closest to him, and not just his real identity.

"_I'll let you know once I'm finished. By the way, how are things going with your little admirer?_"

"What?"

"_Gwen. The girl who has been hitting you since she arrived in Smallville._"

"Right, I meant to tell you that I sort of… lost her."

"_Lost her? As in, don't know where she is?_"

"I'm afraid so. That's why I need you to try and trace her cell phone."

"_Sure thing. But just how did she manage to get away from you?_"

"Let's not get into that now," Clark mumbled, wanting to avoid talking about it. He remained on the line while Chloe started typing away on her super computer.

"_Got it. She's at the bus station in Metropolis. Clark, you better hurry before she–_"

Before Chloe had the chance to finish her sentence, Clark hung up and disappeared down the road in the blink of an eye with nothing but a dust cloud left behind.

* * *

Clark searched all over the bus station for Gwen but couldn't find any trace of her anywhere, so he decided to contact Chloe again for further assistance.

"_Did you find her?_" Chloe blurted out the second she answered the call.

"No, and I'm beginning to think she's not even here," Clark said as he scanned the outside of the bus station for anybody resembling Gwen.

"_She has to be. According to my readings her cell phone is still turned on and in that immediate area._"

Clark begun looking over the group of people spread out across the waiting area, trying to locate Gwen's cell phone but it wasn't easy considering more than several people were carrying a cell phone with them.

"Chloe, you think you can try calling Gwen's cell phone?"

"_Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem. Here we go._"

Clark listened to her dialing the number and seconds later he tuned into his super hearing to locate the ringing cell phone. He turned his head to the side and noticed a homeless man asleep on one of the benches further off, realizing that the ringing came from him.

Clark walked slowly over to the man and could easily spot Gwen's bedazzled cell phone without having to use his x-ray vision. He bent down and picked it up with a heavy sigh, disconnecting the incoming call from Chloe.

"I've found the phone but no Gwen in sight. Apparently she donated it to avoid being tracked down," he said with a somber voice.

"_I was afraid of that. Well, she's not on the bus either because there have been no departures in the past hour. So how did she get away?_"

Clark began walking away from the homeless man, still with Gwen's phone in his hand, and absentmindedly glanced across the street while listening to Chloe talking. That's when he came to a full stop, taking a good look at what was across the street.

"Chloe, I think I know how she got out of town," he said and crossed the street.

"_How?_"

"I'll get back to you."

After ending the call, Clark stepped through the door to the car rental center and headed straight for the reception desk. The colorfully dressed receptionist smiled brightly at him.

"Hello! Welcome to _Rentals-4-U_! How may I help you?"

Clark mustered up a polite smile at the woman, glancing around the place hoping to spot Gwen.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine. You haven't by any chance rented out a car to a brunette in her early twenties in the past few minutes?"

"And what's your friend's name?"

"Gwen Parker."

Clark watched as the receptionist typed in Gwen's name in their computer system and a few seconds later she looked back at him with a frown.

"I'm sorry but no one by that name has ever rented a car from us."

"And you don't remember seeing a brunette in here about five minutes ago?" Clark pressed on.

"There was a young woman in here a while ago but I doubt that it was your friend."

"How come?"

"Well, first of all, she was a blond. And if I'm not mistaken, which I never am, her name sure wasn't Gwen Parker. It was Lois Lane."

Clark stared at the receptionist in silence, as if she'd just told a bad joke.

"Are you sure about that?"

"I remember it distinctly because it sounds awfully familiar, although I've never met the woman before."

"Right. Well, did she happen to mention where she was headed?"

"She didn't seem like the talkative type," the receptionist said and wrinkled her nose. "In all honesty, she didn't seem like a very nice person at all. And I'm guessing your friend must be quite the nice person since you're in here looking for her?"

"Yes, of course," Clark said, once again mustering up a smile at the receptionist and thanking her for her help before walking out of the car rental center with a heavy heart.

After making his way onto the sidewalk in front of the bus station, he picked up his cell phone and called Chloe.

"_Please tell me you got her!_"

"Not even close. She apparently rented a car using Lois' name and wearing a wig to disguise her appearance. The somewhat good news is that she can't have gotten too far even if she's breaking the speed limits, so I'll do quick check outside of Metropolis and see if I run into her."

"_Go. But call me la–"_

Clark abruptly hung up, knowing Chloe would understand after all these years, and made sure the coast was clear before he super speeded through the city and circled the outskirts of Metropolis.

* * *

It was getting dark outside by the time Clark stepped through the front door at the Kent farm. He had been searching high and low for Gwen but somehow she'd managed to escape him again. And after hearing what Chloe had dug up on her, Clark felt even worse for not finding her.

"Let me guess; overtime?"

Clark's thoughts were interrupted by Lois' voice. He looked over and saw her sitting in the sofa, watching a movie with Shelby by her side. Clark walked up from behind her and studied the screen for a moment, not knowing what to say. He knew what he _should_ say but didn't have the heart to bring her the bad news about Gwen.

"Yeah, something like that. What are you watching?" he blurted out.

Lois shifted about in the sofa, absentmindedly stroking Shelby's soft fur while keeping her eyes on the screen.

"Oh, just some lame zombie movie," she said with a shrug. "I was in the mood."

Clark bit his tongue to refrain from asking _why_ she had been in the mood for zombies and continued on into the kitchen to grab something for dinner.

"Have you eaten anything?" he asked as he scoped through the refrigerator.

"I brought home some Chinese food if you're interested. There's tons of it left in the fridge," Lois said and pointed towards the refrigerator without turning her attention away from the movie. Clark took out some of the cartons and poured it onto a plate.

"Were you out chasing down a lead?" Lois suddenly asked, slipping Shelby a piece of popcorn before taking a mouthful herself.

"Yeah, boring stuff. But you know how it is; gotta keep the boss happy," Clark said and leaned against the kitchen counter, clearing the plate of food within seconds.

"I seriously doubt Tess Mercer can ever be happy," Lois muttered and took a swig from her Diet Coke.

That's when Clark took notice of the coffee table being filled with everything from sugary and salty snacks to caffeine beverages. Which could only mean one thing and that was comfort food.

"Something the matter, Lois?" he asked as he put the dishes in the kitchen sink. Lois shifted about in the sofa for the second time, nibbling the piece of chocolate in her hand.

Normally Clark would be absolutely delighted over the fact that Lois Lane wouldn't talk to him but this was one of those times where she wasn't quite herself. Something was clearly bothering her and Clark was determined to drag it out of her.

"Lois, wha–"

"I got a call today at work from the police. Apparently Gwen Parker is a prime suspect in more than one murder case, including the one at the nightclub which I was questioned for. They called to tell me that I was officially off the hook and wondered if I knew where to locate Gwen."

"Do yo–"

"So I told them I hadn't seen her in almost twenty-four hours and they hung up. Shortly thereafter the phone rings again and this time it's Chloe. Imagine my surprise when she starts talking about the exact same thing as the police officer. Gwen is apparently responsible for the death of her father and an ex-boyfriend, both of which died from meteor rock poisoning. Now, I wasn't expecting that."

As Lois grew silent for the second time, Clark wondered just how much Chloe had told Lois. He himself knew all about the Kryptonite poisoning seeing as how Chloe had called and told him everything.

But the exact details regarding how it had entered the victims' blood stream were indecisive according to the autopsy reports but both Chloe and Clark figured it was probably transferred via saliva, especially in the ex-boyfriend's case. Which meant Clark could've been as good as dead if Gwen had actually kissed him.

"I mean, you think you _know_ a person after so many years when in fact… it's a complete stranger," Lois mumbled suddenly.

She was still staring at the screen as the ending credits began rolling with Shelby nuzzled up with his head in her lap. Clark assumed she was talking about Gwen but some part of him feared that Lois meant him.

"I'm sorry, Lois," Clark said and made his way over to the sofa, taking a seat next to Shelby.

Lois turned off the movie and got up to put in another movie in silence. She obviously felt horrible after hearing about Gwen but as usual refused to let it show. Clark didn't expect her to pour her heart to him of all people but he wanted her to realize, that despite their past differences, she had a friend in him. A friend that she could actually talk to about things without being judged or having to keep it all bottled up inside.

"How are you feeling?" Clark blurted out, not standing the silence between them.

Lois returned to her seat next to Shelby, slowly shifting about in the sofa before turning towards Clark. The look in her eyes spoke volumes about how she was feeling and Clark almost wished he hadn't asked her the question but now that it was out in the open, he was hoping to hear her answer to it.

"Honestly?" she said and sighed heavily. "Disappointed. Angry. Betrayed. Sad. But most of all angry. We were like sisters growing up, so sure that our friendship was gonna last a hundred lifetimes over. Even when she moved away because of our fathers' stupid fight, I guess I never really doubted our friendship. Until that police officer called me today."

"Then don't think of it that way," Clark said. "Choose to remember Gwen for who she was when you knew her."

"I don't know if I can do that," Lois sighed. "Once someone does what she has done, they've gone too far. She lied to me and didn't even flinch when I was a possible suspect for the murder she'd committed."

Clark knew just how much Lois despised people who lied, especially to her. Despite her certain flaws, Lois Lane took pride in being as honest as humanly possible without being too blunt. Even though Gwen had committed serious crimes and broken the law, Clark figured it was probably the lying part that bothered Lois the most. The fact that her best friend didn't tell her what was going on and then skipped town without an explanation.

"I'm sorry, Lois," he repeated, otherwise at loss for words. At this moment there wasn't much he or anyone else could do to comfort Lois.

"I know you are, Clark," Lois said, managing a tiny smile. "And I guess in some weird way, I appreciate what you and Chloe did for me."

"What?"

"Chloe's my cousin, Clark, she told me everything you guys have been doing these past few days. Which, I admit, pissed me off at first but then I got to thinking about Gwen and what she'd done. What you guys did was out of love for a friend; what she did wasn't. I only wished I could've realized it sooner and nailed her ass."

"Look, Chloe wanted to tell you earlier but I told her to wait before we had all the facts. I guess deep down, none of us wanted to believe what Gwen was capable of," Clark quickly explained and Lois smiled again, sipping her Diet Coke.

"I always knew Gwen had a dark side, even when we were kids, but I never thought she'd go this far," she said. "Did you find out how she got hold of meteor rock?"

"I'm afraid the only one who can answer that question is Gwen herself," Clark said and Lois slowly nodded along, becoming silent again.

Clark could tell from looking at her that she was still trying to keep up a front, trying to stay strong so that no one would see her vulnerability.

Both Clark and Lois reacted when Shelby suddenly jumped off the sofa, making his way into the kitchen. Leaving an empty space between the two and leaving Lois unprotected. She cleared her throat loudly while shifting about in the sofa, turning her attention back towards the movie playing.

"Thank you," she said quietly, turning her head slightly to look at Clark.

"For what?"

"For being a true friend."

They exchanged smiles across the sofa, suddenly decreasing the distance between them. Lois reached forward and picked up two bags of caramelized popcorn from the coffee table, offering Clark one of the bags. He gave her a puzzled look for a moment and she automatically rolled her eyes at him without realizing it herself.

"Look, I don't share this stuff very often so take it or leave it, Smallville," she said and dangled the popcorn bag in front of him.

"Well, when you put it that way," he said and grabbed the bag. "Thanks."

She turned away her head again and started watching the movie while absently eating the caramelized popcorn, downing it with Diet Coke every now and then.

Clark started eating his popcorn, trying to follow the movie but instead found himself glancing over Lois more often to make sure she was okay. What Gwen had done had clearly affected Lois deeply but Clark knew that Lois Lane was one strong woman and that eventually she would be back to normal again. For better or worse.

"So, what are we watching?" he said, turning his attention back to the movie.

"It's about a superhero saving the world," Lois said. "And the girl of his dreams."

* * *

**THE END**


End file.
